The Other Potter: The Story of Harmony Dawne
by floating-in-fantasy
Summary: Harmony grew up away from all that she should have known. She didn't even know her own name until she was 11. Now she must plunge into a new life and a new world. DISCLAIMER: I'm not J.K. Rowling and I don't own Harry Potter, all I own is Harmony's story.
1. Not Fourteen

She was pretty much the picture of normality. She had a family that consisted of a mother, a father, a little sister, and of course her two dogs. She went to school and had friends. She was thirteen, somewhat tall, with sandy blonde hair, and deep blue eyes, and to be honest she looked as if she could lay off some of the cookies. Some might say she was your average everyday person, but that's not what she would say. If you were to ask her she'd say that in her words _'I'm different and there's something special about me and someday I will find the true place where I belong because it ain't here.' _ That's what she would tell you and little did she know she was right, this is her story.

NOT FOURTEEN

It was July 31st and she had had a wonderful day. She had spent the whole day with her best friend, having fun, and laughing like there was no tomorrow. She was getting ready for bed when she decided to go out on her deck and look at the sky because after such a perfect day the sky should be absolutely gorgeous. So she slid open her sliding door to her deck and went across to the far railing. She turned her face toward the sky; she could actually see some stars tonight. She decided she'd try once again maybe she'd have a chance tonight.

"I know I've had my share of wishes, but if you could, please let me find where I belong. I know this isn't where I belong. Please let it be tonight that I find my true place in this world." And with those words said she walked back inside. She took a look around her bedroom, flipped the lock to her sliding door, turned on her music softly, flipped off the lights, and crawled into bed. She fell asleep shortly and as she was sleeping she didn't know that someone was looking for her.

The clock lights formed the time 12:30. Her sleeping form lied in the bed. She was having a rather restless night. She had woken up twice in the last hour and now she was sleeping extremely light. So light that when the lock to the front door turned she stirred and when she heard the door open her eyes flew open. She could hear footsteps she saw someone run from her parent's bedroom and now she could hear voices.

"Oh hello Professor Dumbledore." She heard her mom's voice say. She screwed her face up in confusion. How could her mother know this person, and how had they got in?

"Hello Carol." She heard a voice that sounded somewhat like an old man. She didn't know what to think now. Why had an old man broken in their house? Well he really hadn't broken in had he; he had more just strolled in.

"I can only guess why you're here. She's asleep, I'll go and wake her." She heard her mother's voice reply and she heard footsteps. Then she felt a hand on her shoulder that would have shaken her awake had she been asleep.

"Wake up, come on get up, I need you to get up." She heard her mother's voice coaxing her awake. She decided that she'd better go along with the sleeping act.

"Huh?" She asked looking up at her mother.

"You need to get up and get dressed. I'm going to walk out and shut the door behind me if you're not out in 5 minutes I'm coming back in here." Her mother told her.

" Okay Ma." She answered and waited for her mother to leave until she got out of bed.

As she went around her room grabbing the first items of clothing she found she was pondering her awkward circumstances. A man had showed up that her mother apparently knew, he had showed up in the middle of the night, and it sounded as if he were here for her. By the time she had thought about all that she had dressed herself in a t-shirt and her baggy old gym shorts. She looked in the mirror and smoothed her curly hair out as much as she could then she opened the door and walked toward the voices she had heard.

"You came so late. I was expecting you'd show up weeks ago. I thought maybe you'd come on the 12th." She heard her mom say.

"No I decided tonight would be best since Harry is getting picked up tonight as well." Said the old man as she emerged from the kitchen into the living room.

Her mom was sitting on the sofa in front of her. She looked around for the man whose voice she'd heard and there he was, sitting on the sofa across from the fireplace. He looked as though he was tall when standing, he had long gray hair, a long gray beard, a crooked nose, upon which were sitting a pair of half moon spectacles, behind the spectacles were the bluest pair of eyes she had ever seen, but the oddest feature was that he was wearing robes somewhat like the ones she had seen sorcerers in the movies wear.

"Dear, sit down." Her mother said patting the seat beside her. She sat and looked from her mother to the man sitting across from her.

"This is Professor Dumbledore he's here to see you. I'll let him explain the rest." Her mother told her. She turned herself to face the man before her.

"Well as your mother or as I should say foster mother so kindly explained I am here to see you." The old man who was called Professor Dumbledore started.

"First of all I must tell you that you are not the person you think you are." He said looking straight at her with those overly blue eyes.

"Wha-woah." She had started to ask exactly what he meant, but then she had this funny feeling in her gut and then there was someone completely different sitting where she was looking.

She had become at least 90 pounds lighter and her hair hung shoulder length, but it was no longer curly it was straight, and it was redder now, her fingers had slenderized considerably and now she would say that she must have been rather good looking, but there was one problem she had also shrunk about 4 or 5 inches. The most new quality about her was the fact that now she had a lightning shape scar on the upper inside of her left arm. With all changes of height and size she thought her clothes would fall in the most embarrassing places, but they appeared to have shrunk with her.

"As I was saying you are not the person you think you are, your name is Harmony Dawne Potter." Dumbledore told her as she studied what she had become.

"Wait so how do I spell it? I think it a good idea I don't go around spelling it wrong." She said for lack of better conversation. She was startled at her new accent, which sounded like it was British and now her voice was higher.

"Quite right. You spell it H-A-R-M-O-N-Y D-A-W-N-E P-O-T-T-E-R. And very good thinking as you will be keeping this identity a secret. No one can know where you've been for the last past 10 years when you're reintroduced." He told her. She was feeling rather embarrassed about the how-do-I-spell-it thing, but curious as to why she'd be keeping where she was a secret.

"If you don't mind me asking why was this kept from me in the first place and where am I getting reintroduced to?" She asked voicing the conversation in her head.

"That brings me to my next point, Harmony you are in fact a witch." He stated it as if it were the most common thing in the world, but to what was now Harmony witches were things of fantasies and dreams.

"Well if I can be a whole different person in 20 minutes I guess I can be a witch too." She said accepting it rather quickly. Harmony was ready to believe anything because this felt right and she knew that her wish had come true.

"You actually took that better than I had expected. As for why this was kept from you it was to keep you safe. And now you have come of age you will be reintroduced to the wizarding world." Dumbledore said.

"Wait just a minute ago you said last past 10 years so I've been out of the wizarding world since I was 4?" She asked.

"As a matter of fact that is not true. You may have noticed that you have lost some of the height that you had before. As most of life here, your age was also a cover, you are actually 11 as of today speaking today is your birthday." His calmness made it all easier to grasp. Okay so she was not 14 she was 11, okay that was an ego dropper, but on the plus side she was a witch.

"Well how could I pass for 14 if I'm 11? I mean most people just aren't that amazing, are they?" She asked.

" I thought that might come up. Harmony you could talk at 3 months of age, you could walk at 4 months, and you were a very smart child far above your age. So we were able to put you 3 years above your age and you still got ahead of them." He explained smiling.

"Alright then, but if this isn't my family, if I'm a Potter, where are my parents?" She asked looking at him concerned about the fact that her parents hadn't shown up to get her and curious as to why she'd been put here in the first place.

"I'm sorry to say this, but your parents were killed. We don't have time for the full story just yet. Anything else you wish to ask?" He said partial pity and sadness in his eyes.

"Do I have any other relatives?" She asked feeling a little alone.

"You have a twin brother named Harry." Dumbledore answered shortly. Now the feeling of loneliness began to fade, as she knew she was not alone.

"Now to the deeper and more important point of why I am here. You do not have to accept this life Harmony. You may stay here and live as a Muggle if that is your desire, but if you wish to return to our world you should go to school. The school you would be attending is for witchcraft and wizardry and it is called Hogwarts. I am headmaster there." He explained to her.

"What's a Muggle?" she asked.

"A person that does not posses the gift of magic." Dumbledore explained.

"Then you're a Muggle? And Dad too?" She turned on her foster mother and asked.

"Yes dear in a sense. I was born into a magical family, but do not possess magic myself. Russ on the other hand is a Muggle." Her mother answered.

"Oh, well I think I've already made up my mind, I will go to Hogwarts." She answered. Why should she stay? She had a whole other world where she could be. She had a brother that she would love to see and be with. She had to go! She really didn't have much of a choice; there was so much she needed to know.

"Excellent." Dumbledore said. Her mother looked at her and nodded, but Harmony could tell she wished that her choice had gone the other way.

"Well go and get the things you need and don't worry about the fitting problem I will fix that." He told her. She began to worry how he would fix it, but did as she was told anyway.

She grabbed all of her favorite clothes from the closet and her ipod. Then she shoved all of it into the backpack on the floor. She slung the backpack over her shoulder and walked back to the living room.

"Ready." She told her new headmaster.

"Alright I'll just give this a tap and we will be off." He said and gave the backpack a tap.

"There, all done. I'll be outside when you are done saying goodbye for the year as you will in all likelihood be staying here for the summer." He said and stepped out the door closing it behind him.

"Bye Mom." Harmony said hugging the woman who had raised her.

"Bye Harmony and be safe." She told her foster daughter. Her daughter looked at her in surprise. She had just called her by her real name not the name she had grown up with.

"Well I've got to start calling you that sometime. You are not entirely mine anymore." Her mother said.

"I love you." Harmony said hugging her mom again.

"I love you too darling, but you better get going and remember this isn't goodbye. I'll see you as soon as the school year ends." Her mother told her and gently pushed her through the door. And with that Harmony knew that this was her newest and greatest adventure and her wishes coming to life.


	2. The First Remembered Steps and the Twin

Okay this is my second chapter. Some of the lines in here are pulled straight out of the books and will be from this point on, so if you see something that you're pretty sure came from the book it probably did. Also some of the lines Harry says in the book I have changed to Harmony's lines so watch for that also. And just in case I forgot to mention I'm not J.K. Rowling, I don't own Harry Potter, the only thing that I own is the story of Harmony. Enjoy!

First remembered steps and the twin

They walked a little ways and came to a quite deserted street. She was now coming to terms with her body and how it worked now. She was pretty used to the shrunken version of herself, but she still would overextend it a little.

"We will Apparate to London as that will be the fastest and most effective way of getting you to London." Dumbledore told her.

"But sir I don't know how." Harmony said.

"You shouldn't as you don't take your test until you are 17 and you only learn just before that. No you will not Apparate by yourself. We will be doing a Side-Along Apparition. Just hold on to me and I warn you it is not entirely pleasant." Dumbledore said as he put her small hand on his left forearm and waved his wand.

She had the sudden notion to grip his forearm and she did, but not with extensive force and she closed her eyes. Then she felt as if she were being pulled though a very tight tube. When she felt the pressure release she opened her eyes and she noticed she was standing in a dark alleyway still gripping Dumbledore's forearm. She let go and looked over at him and saw that he was looking back at her.

"Yeah I see what you mean. I don't think I like that much." She said. Dumbledore chuckled and started walking forward. Harmony followed close behind him, she didn't want to get lost.

"Well we have made it to London and now we must get to the Leaky Cauldron." He explained to her.

"What is the Leaky Cauldron?" She asked curiously.

"It is a pub that has a place around back to access Diagon Alley which is a wizarding shopping area. " He told her. She nodded and starting thinking of her twin Harry. What would he look like, would he like her, and when would they meet?

"Professor?" She said getting his attention.

"Yes, Harmony?" He answered her with a smile.

"When will I meet my brother?" She asked him looking ahead of her as if Harry would be right there.

"Tomorrow afternoon I should think. I shall leave you at the Leaky Cauldron tonight you will sleep there and tomorrow you are to be downstairs in the pub at about eight o'clock in the morning. You will wait there until Hagrid and your brother find you. Then you will go to Diagon Alley with them to get your school things. Speaking of which here is your list of the supplies that you will need. After you are done in Diagon Alley you will spend a month with your aunt and uncle. Do you understand Harmony?" Dumbledore said he had stopped and his blue eyes bore gently into her own.

"Yes sir." She said.

"Excellent then shall we proceed?" He asked. Harmony nodded and they continued on. They traveled the rest of the way in silence though there wasn't much more to go after their little chat. Dumbledore stopped and turned to look at a shabby looking door to a shabby looking pub.

"Is this it then?" Harmony asked.

"Yes." Dumbledore told her. She couldn't help feeling a little sad she liked Dumbledore and she didn't like new places much, she wished that he would stay with her and not leave her alone.

"Would you like me to come with you and help you get settled in?" He asked her as if he could read her thoughts.

"Yes, please." She said her voice sounding a little higher. She guessed Dumbledore knew she was a little scared, and she had a right to be. She was coming to a new world with no information about herself other than the little bit he had given her and no real knowledge of how this world really worked at all.

He walked forward, pushed open the door, and looked back. She was still standing rooted to the spot. He smiled encouragingly and motioned her through. She smiled back, walked up the steps and through the open door.

"Hello Tom." Dumbledore said to a bald toothless man wiping glasses at the counter.

"Dumbledore this is a surprise!" He exclaimed putting the glass down and coming from around the counter.

"You have the room ready I take it?" Dumbledore asked.

"Oh yes had it ready since 5 o'clock. Just in case of course." Said the man called Tom he was looking at Harmony with great interest.

"Oh yes, Tom this is Harmony Potter." Dumbledore said introducing Harmony to the bartender.

"A pleasure to finally meet you Miss Potter!" Tom exclaimed shaking her hand vigorously.

"You too." Harmony replied being very polite.

"Good now that we are all introduced. If you'll gladly show us up to the room Tom." Dumbledore said and Tom began to move up a set of stairs. Dumbledore followed Tom and Harmony quietly began climbing after them. When they reached the top they went about halfway down the hall and stopped in front of a door on the right side.

"Room 15." Tom said pulling open the door to let them in. Dumbledore strode through Harmony trailing quietly along in his wake.

"Thank you Tom that will be all." Dumbledore told Tom and the man turned through the door and left. For a minute Harmony just took in the room. She was brought out of it by Dumbledore's voice.

"Harmony there are some things you must understand. First, you are under no circumstances to tell anyone not even Harry where you have been. If you are asked you are to say no more then you have been abroad and leave it at that. It is of the upmost importance that your identity is kept safe. Secondly, I would like you to understand that over summer holidays you will most likely going back to your foster parents house unless I say otherwise. Thirdly, I don't want you wandering while you are here and I want you to keep your scar as hidden as possible. I want no one to know you are here until Hagrid is with you. Have I made myself clear?" Dumbledore asked her again the blue eyes boring intensely into her own.

"Yes sir." She answered yet again.

"Harmony," Dumbledore began. He put his hands on her shoulders gripping softly as he made his blue eyes bore even deeper into hers. "I need you to promise me you will tell no one where you've been. That is the most important part of this system. No one, but me can know where you have been. "

"No one else will know, I promise." Harmony said firmly. If nothing else she would not fail in that, she would keep her whereabouts a secret.

"Alright then I will leave you now. Be downstairs at 8 o'clock I have left a bewitched alarm clock and if you require anything before Hagrid comes ask Tom for it." Dumbledore said as he started heading for the door.

"Remember you will go with Harry after tomorrow to your aunt and uncle's arrangements have already been made so there is no need to worry about that. Be careful Harmony, while you are here alone you need to be extremely careful. Well I think that is all I need to say. I will see you on September first. Goodbye Harmony." Dumbledore said and he turned to leave.

"Good bye Professor." Harmony's quiet voice said to him and with that the door was shut and Dumbledore was gone.

Harmony began to get ready for bed, as it was pretty late. She pulled her pajamas out of her backpack and was surprised to find that they fit perfectly. She walked to the bathroom to brush out her hair and when she looked in the mirror she was thrilled to find a beautiful girl looking back at her. This new girl had sandy blonde hair with a lovely reddish tint, she was skinny even for 11, and had the prettiest hazel eyes Harmony had ever seen. She finished in the bathroom then she set the bewitched alarm clock on the nightstand to half-past 7 and crawled in under the covers of the bed. She thought of the next day and what it would be like. In the middle of thinking her head sunk more into the pillow and then she was asleep.

She was having a wonderful sleep it was a black dreamless sleep, but it was restoring all the same. Someone talking to her pulled her out of her dreamless sleep.

"Get up! Get up! Look at the time you could already be late and you wouldn't know! Get up! Get up!" A high annoying woman's voice told her. She opened her eyes and looked around to see who was talking to her. It was the alarm clock she realized very quickly, she tried to turn it off, but it wouldn't go off.

"Get up get out of bed! If you want this all to stop get using your sleepy head!" Harmony didn't have much more patience, but she figured the clock would turn off if she got out of bed so she pulled the covers off her and swung her legs out of bed. She pressed the off button and it actually turned off. She sighed she knew she couldn't go back to sleep now and it was already almost time to be downstairs so she grabbed her backpack and headed for the bathroom.

When she was done getting ready she checked the room one last time to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything. When she was satisfied she had forgotten nothing she opened the door and went downstairs. She got downstairs only to realize the pub was quiet and empty for now.

"Pick a seat anywhere Miss Potter. I expect we'll be filling up pretty quick." Said a voice behind her and she turned to find Tom.

"Thank you." She said picking a seat close to the bar. She waited quietly for a while, but got bored and pulled out a book to read from her backpack. She laughed at what she had pulled out, _Tom Sawyer._ She was suppose to read it for her honors English class that she would not be going to in the fall. She opened to where she left off still chuckling then she became almost completely incoherent.

She didn't notice people start to come in so when she looked up from the book the pub had become a little louder. A few old women were sitting in a corner and next to her a little man with a top hat was talking to Tom.

Then the door opened and in walked a big man in a moleskin overcoat and a young boy with black hair, round glasses, and shabby clothes. Everyone seemed to know the big man; though big man was sort of an understatement he was more like a very small giant. The boy seemed to be a little confused and a little nervous. Beside her Tom reached for a glass.

"The usual, Hagrid?" He asked looking at the big man. Hagrid she had heard that name before. She thought about it for a second then it dawned on her, Hagrid was the man she was waiting for. She debated on what to do and while she thought Hagrid replied to Tom.

"Can't, Tom, I'm on Hogwarts business." Hagrid said putting a hand on the young boy's shoulder.

"Good Lord," Tom began looking at the boy. "is this------well surely not both------not at the same------can this be-----?"

Harmony looked around the pub had gone awfully quiet, too quiet.

"And Tom," Hagrid started in a quieter voice. "where is she?" Tom didn't say anything he simply motioned to the little girl sitting to the side of the bar. Harmony only saw Tom say something and strode around the bar and was now talking to what she assumed was her brother.

" Well hello Harmony. I haven't seen you since you was only a baby. Yeh look just like yer mum, but yeh've got yer dad's eyes! What a twist!" Hagrid told her. The pub was quiet again it seemed that everyone had heard what Hagrid had said. Everyone was already shaking her brother's hand and now they all started at her too. Soon she found herself right next to her brother still shaking people's hands.

Then a pale young man came out of the crowd nervously.

"Professor Quirrell!" Hagrid boomed. "Harry, Harmony, Professor Quirrell will be one of your teachers at Hogwarts."

"The P-P-Potters," stammered Professor Quirrell reaching for Harry's hand first and then shaking Harmony's. "c-can't tell you how p-pleased I am to meet you both."

"What sort of magic do you teach, Professor?" Harmony asked him.

"D-defense Against the D-D-Dark Arts," muttered Quirrell as though he was not very excited to be teaching that subject. "N-not that you n-need it, eh, P-P-Potter?" He laughed rather nervously. "You'll be g-getting all your equipment, I suppose? I've g-got to p-pick up a new b-book on vampires, m-myself." He looked horrified at the thought of a book on vampires.

People kept shaking their hands, it seemed as if it would never end and then Hagrid's voice could be heard over the crowd.

"Must get on ------- lots ter buy. Come on, you two."

Hagrid lead them would through the bar and out into a small, walled courtyard, where there was nothing, but a trashcan and a couple of weeds. Hagrid turned to Harry.

"Told yeh, didn't I? Told yeh you and yer sister was famous. Even Professor Quirrell was tremblin' ter meet you two --------mind you, he's usually tremblin'."

"Is he always like that?" Harmony asked.

"Oh, yeah. Poor bloke. Brilliant mind. He was fine while he was studyin' outta books but then he took a year off ter get some first hand experience . . . They say he met vampires in the Black Forest, and there was a nasty bit o' trouble with a hag---never been the same since. Scared of the students, scared of his own subject -----now, where's me umbrella?"

While Hagrid was searching for his umbrella Harmony turned to Harry, she knew it was high time they were properly introduced.

"Hello Harry, my name is Harmony Dawne Potter and I am your twin sister." She said and stuck out her hand, it sounded a little awkward, but she had to say it.

"Hi Harmony, my name is Harry James Potter and I am your twin brother." Harry replied making Harmony feel a little less awkward. He grabbed her hand and shook it. She giggled because she knew that they were both nervous about meeting each other.

Hagrid finally found his umbrella and was counting bricks on the wall above the trashcan.

"Three up . . . two across . . ." Hagrid muttered. "Right, stand back."

He tapped the wall three times with the point of his umbrella.

The brick he had touched quivered-----it wriggled-----in the middle, a small hole appeared-----it grew wider and wider----a second later they were facing an archway large enough even for Hagrid, and archway onto a cobbled street the twisted and turned out of sight.

"Welcome," said Hagrid, "to Diagon Alley."


	3. Together Now and Forever

Third chapter and all in one night! I am extremely proud of myself! Just a reminder of the whole lines from the book thing. ( If you don't know what I mean read the note at the top of the previous chapter.) Enjoy this even though it's a short chapter.

Together Now and Forever

Harmony and Harry were stunned into silence. They walked through the archway. They looked over their shoulders at the same time to see the archway shrink back into a solid wall.

"We've gotta get yer money." Harmony knew Hagrid had spoken before that, but she had not heard it.

They walked past many shops one which held a racing broom apparently it was the newest model called a Nimbus Two Thousand. When they were in front of a snowy white building that towered over the other little shops Harmony stopped and looked at it transfixed.

"Gringotts," Hagrid told them.

Harmony was very inattentive until they reached a vault; she guessed this must be Harry and her vault. They got out and the goblin with them unlocked the door. Harmony was stunned into silence yet again by what was inside the vault. Piles and piles of gold, silver, and bronze, she gasped when she saw all of it.

"All o' it belongs to you two." Hagrid informed them.

All theirs, this was impossible! She had been told that she hadn't had enough money for things all her life and here was a mound of gold that was partially hers sitting in London. Harry and her began filling two sacks with money and of course Hagrid helped them.

"The gold ones are Galleons," He explained. "Seventeen silver Sickles to a Galleon and twenty-nine Knuts to a Sickle, it's easy enough. Right, that should be enough for a couple o' terms, we'll deep the rest safe for yeh."

And then Harmony became inattentive again as she was thinking of her life after this point. What could she do, what couldn't she do? She was a witch and it felt good. They ended up at another vault.

"Harry why are we here?" Harmony asked, as she hadn't been paying much attention.

"I don't know it's something for Hogwarts though." Harry told her.

The goblin stroked the door with one long finger and it melted away. Hagrid went inside and picked up a grubby looking package wrapped in brown paper. She was about to ask what it was, but then caught sight of her brother and knew by his face he was telling her not to ask.

Once they were out of Gringotts Hagrid looked a little bit better. Harmony looked over at Harry and smiled at him. She was very happy when he smiled back. It was like they knew what the other wanted to say with just looks and she liked that very much.

"Might as well get yer uniforms," Hagrid said cutting into her thoughts. He nodded toward a little shop that Harmony hadn't caught the name of. "Listen you two, do yeh mind if I slipped off fer a pick-me-up in the Leaky Cauldron? I hate them Gringotts carts." He didn't look all the way normal yet.

"No I don't mind." Harmony and Harry said at the same time. They looked at each other and grinned broadly. With that decided Hagrid went off to the Leaky Cauldron and they headed for the little shop.

"What was this shop called? I wasn't paying attention." Harmony asked Harry.

"Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions." Harry answered.

They went into the shop both of them feeling nervous. Madam Malkin was a squat, smiling witch dressed in all mauve. Harmony could tell that she might like this witch or at least she hoped she would.

"Hogwarts?" she said, when Harry started to speak for them. "Got the lot here---another young man being fitted up just now in fact."

In the back of the shop, a boy with a pale, pointed face was standing on a footstool while a second witch pinned up his long back robes. Madam Malkin motioned to another shop assistant and Harry was put on a stool on one side of the boy and Harmony on the other side. The shop assistant that was assigned to Harmony slipped a robe over her head, and began to pin it to the right length. Harmony looked around the other boy so she could see Harry.

"Hello," Said the middle boy. "Hogwarts, too?"

"Yes." Harry and Harmony said at the same time.

"My father's next door buying my books and Mother's up the street looking at wands," Said the boy. He had a bored, drawling voice. Harmony didn't really like the sound of it. "Then I'm going to drag them off to look at racing brooms. I don't see why first years can't have their own. I think I'll bully Father into getting me one and I'll smuggle it in somehow."

Harry was strongly reminded of Dudley and Harmony was reminded of all the popular snobs at her old school.

"Have you two got your own brooms?" The boy went on.

"No," said Harry and Harmony yet again together.

"Play Quidditch at all?"

"No," Harry and Harmony said again, wondering what on earth Quidditch was.

"I do-----Father says it's a crime if I'm not picked to play for my House, and I must say, I agree. Know what House you'll be in yet?"

"No," They said again both feeling stupid. Harmony looked around the boy again at Harry and smiled at him to tell him that he was not alone in this.

"Well, no one really knows until they get there, do they, but I know I'll be in Slytherin, all our family have been-----imagine being in Hufflepuff, I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?"

"Mmm," Harry and Harmony answered at once. They seemed to be very in tune with each other as if they knew what the other would say and so they said it too.

"Are you two brother and sister or something because this whole time you've said everything together?" The boy asked.

"Yes we are." This time Harmony answered alone. It looked as if the boy were about to ask something, but then changed his mind and said something else.

"I say, look at that man!" The boy said suddenly. That's where Harmony tuned out she could hear her brother and the boy still talking, but she wasn't listening anymore. She daydreamed until she heard the boy's voice say something she didn't like very much.

"Do you?" Said the boy, with a slight sneer. "Why is he with you? Where are you're parents?"

"They're dead." Said Harmony butting in. She wished the boy would just leave her and Harry alone.

"Oh, sorry," Said the boy, not sounding sorry at all. "But they were our kind, weren't they?"

What was this guy's problem? What did he mean by 'they were our kind'? And so what if they weren't? What difference did it make? Harmony thought all these things and was saved from answering by Harry.

"They were a witch and wizard, if that's what you mean." Harry answered.

"I really don't think they should let the other sort in, do you? They're just not the same; they've never been brought up to know our ways. Some of them have never even hear of Hogwarts until they get the letter, imagine. I think they should keep it in the old wizarding families. What's your surname, anyway?"

Harmony was about let out a really nasty retort and spill everything to this boy whose name she didn't even know, but she was saved from that by a voice.

"That's you done, my dear," Madame Malkin told Harry.

"You too." The other shop assistant told her. Harmony was glad for anything to get her away from this boy. She was so relived she almost leaped off the footstool.

"Well, I'll see you at Hogwarts, I suppose." Said the boy. Harry and Harmony walked out together happy to get away from the boy.

"I don't think I like him much." Harmony commented.

"I don't think I do either." Harry echoed her.

"But did you hear how we answered together! It was perfectly synchronized! And I know I wasn't thinking, were you?" She asked smiling at him and giggling slightly.

"No," Harry answered smiling back.

"Harry," Harmony said turning to face him.

"Yeah?" Harry asked.

"I love you." Harmony said wrapping her arms around him and hugging him.

" I love you too." Harry replied doing the same.

And at that moment they both knew that they had a bond that could never be broken by anything. They were brother and sister, they were twins, and nothing could change that. They let go of each other, but Harmony slipped her hand into Harry's and looked at him smiling. He squeezed her hand once and smiled back then they set off together to find Hagrid still hand in hand.


	4. How did they die?

Okay this is the next chapter! I'll keep putting them up randomly until I've got to the part I've written to, then it might slow down a bit! Thanks for the encouragement! Enjoy!

How did they die?

A little later Harmony and Harry were very quietly eating the ice cream Hagrid had bought for them.

"What's up with you two?" Hagrid asked.

"Nothing," they said at the same time. They went and got parchment and quills. They both cheered up when they found a bottle of ink that changed color as you wrote. When they left, Harry asked Hagrid something that Harmony had sort of seen coming.

"Hagrid, what's Quidditch?"

"Blimey, I keep forgettin' how little you two know-----not knowin' about Quidditch!" Hagrid replied.

"Please Hagrid, don't make us feel worse." Said Harmony. They began to tell Hagrid about the boy from Madam Malkin's.

They talked about Muggle families and things for a while and Hagrid told them about Quidditch. Then they got to the really interesting subject, Hogwarts Houses.

"What are Slytherin and Hufflepuff?" Harry asked.

"School Houses. There's four. Everyone says Hufflepuff are a lot o' duffers, but-----" Hagrid began to answer.

"I bet we're in Hufflepuff." Harmony said unhappily and as she looked at her brother he nodded which told her that he felt the same.

"Better Hufflepuff than Slytherin," Hagrid told them darkly. "There's not a single witch or wizard who went bad who wasn't in Slytherin. You-Know-Who was one."

"Who's You-Know-Who?" Harmony asked.

"Oh that's right yeh don't know. I guess Dumbledore didn't tell yeh?" Hagrid asked. Harmony shook her head slowly.

"Well I can't tell yeh everythin', but it begins with-------well--------- it's amazin' you don't know his name---------"

"Who?" Harmony probed.

"Would you like me to say it?" Harry asked Hagrid. Hagrid looked at Harry and nodded.

"Voldemort," Harry told her. "but don't say the name. Most people are still scared of him."

"So he's the one that killed my parents?" Harmony asked.

"Yeah," said Hagrid. "On Halloween ten years ago, he turned up where you were living. You and your brother was just a year old. He came ter yer house an'-----an'------ You-Know-Who killed 'em. An' then -------an' this is the real myst'ry of the thing ------he tried to kill you. That's why you have that scar. That's what yeh get when a powerful, evil curse touches yeh----took care of yer mum an' dad an' yer house, even----but it didn't work on you, an' that's why you and your brother are famous. No one ever lived after he decided ter kill 'em, no one except you.

That's how her parents had died. Dumbledore had told her they were killed, but she had never thought they were murdered. Her brother and her had survived a curse that was meant to kill them and that's why everyone knew her. Somehow this didn't seem so great anymore.

"But what happened to Vol—oh sorry, You-Know-Who?" Harmony asked.

"Good question. Disappeared. Vanished. Same night he tried ter kill you. Makes yeh even more famous. Some say he died, some say he's still out there, but I don't believe it. Some of his lot came back. Some of 'em came outta kinda trances. Don' reckon they could've done if he was comin' back."

"Most of us reckon he's still out there somewhere, but lost his powers. Too weak to carry on. 'Cause somethin' about you finished him. There was somethin' goin' that night he hadn't counted on------I dunno what it was, no one does-----but somethin' about you stumped him, all right." Hagrid finished.

They remained pretty quiet as they went to get some more of their stuff. They went into a bookshop called Flourish and Blotts and bought their books. Then they went to get cauldrons and after that went to get potion supplies. When that was done Hagrid checked their list.

"Just yer wands left----oh yeah, an' I still haven't got yeh a birthday present."

Harmony felt herself go scarlet, when she looked over she realized her brother was almost the same shade as she knew she must be.

"You don't have to------" Harmony said.

"I know I don't have to. Tell yeh what, I'll get yeh an animal and you can share. Not a toad, toads went outta fashion years ago, yeh'd be laughed at-----an' I don't like cats, they make me sneeze. I'll get yer an owl. All the kids want owls, they're dead useful, carry yer mail an' everythin'." Hagrid said.

Twenty minutes later Harmony was the partial owner of an owl. They had picked a beautiful snowy owl. Which Harmony had fallen in love with at first sight. Harry and her were now taking turns stammering their thanks.

"Don' mention it," Said Hagrid. "Don' expect you've had a lotta presents from them Dursleys, Harry. An' Harmony didn't get a cake from me, now did she. Just Ollivanders left now----only place fer wands, Ollivanders, and yeh gotta have the best wands."


	5. The Wands

Another chapter, another adventure! Hope you have fun reading this!

**The Wands**

A wand is what Harmony fantasized about the most. A wand so she could do magic. What kind of magic would she be able to do with her wand? She kept thinking over this until they were inside the shop.

Inside there were towers and towers of narrow boxes piled in neatly up to the ceiling. Harmony could sense it, she could feel the magic radiating off the place. The dust in the room even seemed to be filled with magic.

"Good Afternoon," said a soft voice. Harry and Harmony jumped.

An old man was standing before them, his wide, pale eyes shining.

"Hello," Harry said. Harmony stood behind him as she was sort of nervous.

"Ah yes," said the man. "yes, yes. I thought I'd be seeing you soon. Harry Potter." The man said and it wasn't a question. "You have your mother's eyes."

The man stopped speaking for at that moment Harmony stepped out from behind her brother.

"Didn't see you there. I wondered why you weren't here, yes I've been looking for you too. Harmony Potter." Yet again not a question.

"It seems only yesterday your mother was in here herself, buying her first wand. Ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow. Nice wand for charm work." Ollivander went on. As he spoke he moved closer to the siblings.

"Your father, on the other hand, favored a mahogany wand. Eleven inches. Pliable. A little more power and excellent for transfiguration. Well, I say your father favored it -----it's really the wand that chooses the wizard, of course."

Mr. Ollivander had come so close that Harmony and her brother could see themselves reflected in those misty eyes.

"And that's where. . . " He said looking at Harry's scar. He touched it with a long, white finger.

"I'm sorry to say I sold the wand that did it." He said softly. "Thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Powerful, wand, very powerful, and in the wrong hands. . . well, if I'd have known what that wand was going out into the world to do. . . . "

He shook his head and then, to Harry and Harmony's relief, spotted Hagrid. Harmony zoned out as Mr. Ollivander and Hagrid talked. Ollivander was a little creepy defiantly, but Harmony agreed that he was nice enough. Then she was pulled out of her trance by Mr. Ollivander's voice.

"Well, now -----we will begin with Mr. Potter. Let me see." He pulled out a long tape measure with silver markings out of his pocket. "Which is your wand arm?"

"Er----well, I'm right-handed," Said Harry.

"Hold out your arm. That's it." Harmony watched as he measured Harry from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit and around his head. As he measured, he told them of how wands are made and about the 3 main cores of wands.

Harmony watched the tape measure move of it's own accord about her brother. Just then it began to measure her too, but she wasn't surprised and she let it do its stuff. Mr. Ollivander came back with boxes of what she found out to be wands. Her and her brother tried about what felt like a million wands and Harmony was starting to lose hope until.

". . . . holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple. " Mr. Ollivander said to Harry then he turned to Harmony. "And for you an even more unusual combination--------- ebony and phoenix feather, eleven inches as well.

Harry and Harmony took the wands. Harmony felt a sudden warmth in her fingers. She raised the wand a little and red and gold sparks shot out of the end. When she looked over she saw her brother's wand had done the same. She smiled ever so slightly at her brother and he returned the smile.

"Oh, bravo! Yes, indeed, oh, very good. Well, well, well. . . how curious . . . how very curious. . . " Mr. Ollivander said.

He put their wands back into the boxes and wrapped them in brown paper sill muttering. "Curious. . . curious. . . "

"Sorry," Harry said, "but what's curious?"

"I remember every wand I've ever sold, Mr. Potter. Every single wand. It so happens that is phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand , gave only two other feathers---just two others. One of the feathers resides in your sister's wand, which is not all that peculiar. But it is very curious indeed that you should be destined for these wands when its brother -----why, it's brother gave you those scars."

Harmony heard Harry swallow. She was shocked, yes, but she kept herself pretty well in control.

"Yes, thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Curious indeed how these things happen. The wand chooses the wizard, remember. . . . I think we must expect great things from both of you. . . After all, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things---- terrible, yes, but great."

Harmony and her brother gave involuntary shivers. They paid for the wands and left the shop.

It was sunset as they walked back along Diagon Alley and back through the Leaky Cauldron, now empty. They didn't speak until they got out into a station.

"Got time fer a bite to eat before yer train leaves," Hagrid said bringing the silence to a halt.

He bought them hamburgers and they sat down on plastic seats to eat them. Harry and Harmony kept looking around. Everything looked so strange, somehow.

"You all right? Yer very quiet," Hagrid asked.

Harry and Harmony exchanged glances and they knew they were thinking the same thing, but neither of them were sure how to explain.

"Everyone thinks we're special," Harry began.

"All those people in the Leaky Cauldron, Professor Quirrell, Mr. Ollivander. . ." Harmony continued for him.

"But we don't know anything about magic at all. How can they expect great things?" Harry put in.

"We're famous and we can't even remember what we're famous for. " Harmony said.

"We don't know what happened when Vol-, sorry----I mean, the night our parents died." Harry finished.

Hagrid leaned across the table. Behind the wild beard and eyebrows he wore a very kind smile.

"Don' you worry, you two. You'll learn fast enough. Everyone starts at the beginning a Hogwarts, you'll be just fine. Just be yerselves. I know it's hard. Yeh've both been singled out, an' that's always hard. But yeh'll have a great time at Hogwarts-----I did-----still do, 'smatter of fact."

Hagrid helped Harry and Harmony onto the train that would take them to the Dursleys, then handed Harry an envelope.

"Yer tickets for Hogwarts," he said. "First o' September------ King's Cross -----it's all on yer ticket. Any problems with the Dursleys, send me a letter with yer owl, she'll know where to find me . . . . See yeh soon."

The train pulled away from the station. Harry looked out the window, but then sat down.

"He was gone when I looked back." Harry told Harmony.


	6. The Time Missed

Super short chapter, but I thought it was needed just to get the feel of Harmony and Harry. So yeah enjoy this little bit of their lives.

**The Time Missed**

"Well I don't think he'd hang around long." Harmony answered.

"I guess you're right." Harry said looking at his sister. The two of them stayed quiet for about two minutes then Harmony broke the silence.

"Harry?" She said getting his attention.

"Yeah," He said.

"I think we should both know about the other's lives------just so we don't feel like complete strangers." Harmony said.

"Yeah, you go first." Harry said.

"Okay well I grew up somewhere abroad. I had a wonderful mother, a beautiful amazing little sister, and well------- my father wasn't the best. Until yesterday I was fourteen and I had -----well I better not tell you much more about that. " Harmony paused.

"Why was your father awful? And why can't you tell me?" Harry asked his sister feeling a little out of the loop.

"Well he hated my mother and would have left us ages ago had it not been for his fanatical predicament. He didn't care about my little sister or me either so that's that. Although around the time I left I think he was trying to do better. And I can't tell you because not even you can know exactly where I've been or practically anything that could lead you to me. I know you're not a threat Harry, but Dumbledore has worked hard to keep my whereabouts a secret and I'd like to help him as much as I can." Harmony answered hoping that would be enough.

"Okay." Said Harry a little grudgingly.

"I'm sorry Harry." Harmony said softly looking at her feet.

"It's okay. I guess I just kind of wanted to know everything and that was sort of a let down." Harry said.

" What else do you want to know?" Harmony asked.

"Did you have any friends?" Harry asked her.

"Yes, a few. I had a lot of just friends, but only a few best friends. My very best friend was like a sister to me. My other two guy friends were like brothers to me." Then Harmony paused realizing for the first time she wouldn't be seeing them for a long time and this made her a little sad considering they were so close. She hoped they would still keep her close in their hearts while she was away.

"Did you have pets?" Harry asked.

"Yes I had, well I guess I can still say I have, two dogs," Harmony answered as she thought of her youngest dog. She loved both her dogs, but she thought of her youngest one a lot because he was the troublemaker of the two. Her other dog was calm and quiet most of the time, but her youngest was as wild as all get out. It would be odd to be away from them and yes she would miss them.

"What's your favorite color?" Harry asked.

"I have four, gold, silver, white, and black." Harmony told him. "My turn now."

"Alright, but I warn you my life is a little boring." Harry said.

"Okay----what was it like living with our aunt and uncle?" Harmony asked.

"Awful. I was more a slave than anything else. The only clothes I have are Dudley's old ones and I don't get to eat much. I used to sleep in a cupboard under the stairs and they just plain treat me rotten." Harry finished.

"Do they have any children?" Harmony asked.

"Yeah," Harry said. "Dudley the spoiled brat. He gets everything he wants and when he doesn't he throws a fit then gets what he wants. He hates me and uses me as his personal torture recipient. "

"I'm sorry, Harry." Harmony said. Harmony could see tears leaking from her brother's eyes so she gently laid her hand on his to comfort him.

"It's alright." Harry said gripping her hand.

"Harry, I want you to know that even though I haven't been there for you before-------I'm here for you now." Harmony said keeping her eyes on her brother.

"Thanks Harmony." Harry said and he reached out to give his sister a hug. They hugged for a little while because it just felt right and they didn't care what other people thought. They were together and that's all that mattered.


	7. Meeting the Relatives and Name Issues

Alright this is the last pre-written chapter, so after this postings will slow. . . a lot. Enjoy this one though and keep looking for the next one because I promise it will come up. . . sometime.

**Meeting the Relatives and Name Issues**

Harry and Harmony got off the underground and began walking back to the Dursleys. They remained very silent all the way there, but it was a companionable silence and nowhere near uncomfortable. It was actually kind of a good silence, just a normal nice silence that flowed.

They arrived at the Dursleys and Harry opened the door. As they walked in they could hear someone in the kitchen. Harry turned and walked in, Harmony followed looking around the unusually spotless house. There in the kitchen was a woman, she was thin and blonde and had an unusually long neck.

"Hello Aunt Petunia." Harry said.

"Back again are------" Petunia began, but she had turned around and saw a little form standing on the other side of her kitchen. "Who are you?"

At that the little form stepped into the light and Petunia could see a little girl. For a moment Petunia was stunned into silence because she thought that this was her dead sister, Lily. Then she saw that the hair was not all red but a mixture between sandy blonde and red. Also the eyes were different, they were not the color of the boy's which were the color of her sister's, they were hazel instead.

"Oh, you must be the sister." Petunia said flatly, still in shock at the girl's appearance.

"And you must be my aunt." Harmony said just as flat, staring her aunt down. Just then the door open and a big man walked in.

"Work was a--------" The big man stopped before the sentence was out. Harmony saw that he was very big indeed and he had a very large mustache.

"Vernon this is -------is--------well she's the boy's sister and she will be staying with us until they-------well leave." Petunia said a little lost for words.

"Really?" Harmony's uncle said in a voice that was not at all kind. "And when was this decided?"

"I got the---um-----letter this morning." Petunia explained. "Vernon we don't have much choice and it's only for the month."

"Well," Vernon started. "Well I suppose you're one of -----of------of--------those people?"

"Well if you're asking if I'm a witch, yes." Harmony said in a matter of fact voice. Both her uncle and aunt shivered as if there were a cold draft.

"We don't mention that -----that----stuff in this house!" Vernon said in a dangerously low voice.

"Oh, well alright then." Harmony said airily, acting as if she didn't care.

"She will stay in your room." Petunia said speaking to Harry.

"Yes Aunt Petunia." Harry said and began to walk out the door. "Come on, Harmony."

Harmony had begun to walk out after her brother, but when her name was said her aunt's face went very pale behind Harmony's back.

"Wait," Her aunt started and Harmony turned around.

"Yes?" Harmony asked in a very polite tone.

"What-----what----is your name?" Her aunt asked, she seemed to be going into shock.

"Harmony," Harmony answered carelessly.

"Your full name." Her aunt clarified looking paler by the minute.

"Harmony Dawne Potter." Harmony said now a little curious as to why her aunt was paling so fast.

"Harmony------Harmony Dawne-----" Her aunt muttered very quietly.

Harmony was a little afraid now, it looked as if her aunt might faint or go into hysterics or something and all because of her name. Apparently her Uncle Vernon shared her thoughts because he moved toward her aunt.

"Dawne----Dawne spelled with an e at the end?" Her aunt asked as if speaking to loud were an unforgivable sin.

"Yeah, why?" Harmony asked.

"No---no reason," Her aunt said seeming to come out of the trance. "No reason at all. Now upstairs ----both of you."

Harmony turned on her heel and her brother and her continued up the stairs. When they got there Harmony put her backpack down on the floor and turned to Harry.

"What was that all about?" Harmony asked.

"Oh you mean Aunt Petunia? I have no idea what that was." Harry answered.

"It had something to do with my name that's for sure." Harmony stated.

"Yeah, but I've never seen her do that before. " Harry said.

"Well there's a first time for everything." Harmony replied.

"I guess so----hey I should show you around so you don't get lost." Harry said and he started to smile.

"Yeah, but why are you smiling?" Harmony asked.

"Because now I have someone to hang out with. Come on, let's go!" Harry said and he started for the door.

"Okay I'm coming." Harmony said and went after him.

The two walked down the hall and Harry told her what every room was. When Harry told Harmony that until recently Dudley had had two bedrooms she gaped at him. Then Dudley came out of his bedroom and saw them, he turned to go back in then he turned back to face them.

"Who're you?" He asked stupidly putting his backside against the wall.

"Oh, hey Dudley." Harry said smirking.

"Who----who is she?" Dudley asked again sounding very stupid, but somehow afraid.

"Oh me," Harmony said. "I'm Harry's sister and your cousin."

"Harry-----Harry doesn't have a sister." He said.

"Yes he does and my name is Harmony, thank you very much." Harmony told him being a little snobbish.

At that Dudley's face turned pale and he stared at Harmony. Then he did the weirdest thing Harmony had ever seen a boy do, he turned and ran down the stairs screaming for his mother all the way.

"What in the world was that? And why was he against the wall like that?" Harmony asked.

"He's scared of me because he got a pig's tail when Hagrid came to get me. And I would guess since you're my sister and we're you-know-whats he believed that you would do something to him." Harry explained.

"You know I think he'd look good with a tail." Harmony remarked snidely.

"He's still got it, I think." Said Harry smirking.

Then they both laughed for a long time about pigs and tails and such just like 11-year-old kids should.

When they got back to their room they talked for a bit then out of the blue Harmony changed the subject.

"Harry we haven't named our owl!" She said excitedly.

"That's right. Hey, why don't we look in one of our books to see if we can find a decent name." Harry suggested.

"That's a brilliant idea!" Harmony said and then she grabbed a book and began to look through it. Harry grabbed a different book and did the same.

"How about Magic?" Harmony suggested.

"No I think we can find something better." Harry said.

"Asphodel?" Harry put in.

"Maybe, where'd you find it?" Harmony asked.

"Potions book." Harry answered.

It went on like that for a few hours until Harmony stumbled upon the perfect name.

"Hedwig?" Harmony said questioningly.

"That's it!" Harry said.

"I liked it too." Harmony said.

"Where'd you find it?" Harry asked.

"A History of Magic." Harmony said naming the book. "You know it's actually pretty interesting."

"Yeah for you maybe." Harry answered.


	8. The Platform

It's probably time I was in bed, but I had to finish this chapter. So enjoy my hard work, while I go to sleep. Oh yeah and just to let you know this is one of the longer chapters.

**The Platform**

The rest of the time with the Dursleys was okay for Harry and Harmony. They were left pretty well alone and weren't forced to do anything at all. They were ignored by their aunt and uncle and were feared by Dudley. All they really looked forward to though was the day they would journey to Hogwarts, September 1st. Everyday they ticked off another day on the piece of paper they had made into a calendar to count down the days.

On the last day of August Harry and Harmony were discussing Hogwarts in their room.

"Do you think they'll like us?" Harmony asked.

"Well I hope so." Harry answered. "If not, we've got each other, right?"

"Yeah," Harmony smiled.

"We go tomorrow." Harry said looking at the calendar.

"Wait Harry, how are we going to get there?" Harmony asked.

"We'll have to ask Uncle Vernon if he'll take us." Harry said a little unhopefully.

"And what if he says no Harry, then what?" Harmony asked a little nervous.

"We'll figure that out when we have to." Harry said. "But lets go ask now so we have more time if he says no."

The two of them walked down to the living room where their aunt, uncle, and cousin were watching a quiz show on television. Harry cleared his throat to alert them that they were there, and Dudley screamed and ran from the room.

"Er------Uncle Vernon?" Harry began.

Their uncle grunted to show he was listening.

"Er-------I-----I mean we have to be at King's Cross tomorrow to-----" Harry couldn't finish so Harmony jumped in.

"To go to Hogwarts." She finished.

Their uncle grunted again.

"Would it be alright if you gave us a lift?" Harry asked.

Grunt. The twins looked at each other they guessed that meant yes.

"Thank you." Harmony said for though she was cocky sometimes she was usually polite.

They were headed upstairs with grins on their faces when Uncle Vernon actually spoke.

"Funny way to get to a wizards' school, the train. Magic carpets all got punctures, have they?"

Neither Harry nor Harmony said anything to that comment, but Harmony knew he was making fun of them and she didn't like it. She decided if her uncle said anything else she would comment back, but lucky for her uncle he changed the subject.

"Where is this school, anyway?"

"We don't know," Harry answered for them, realizing for the first time that they actually didn't know. Harry pulled out the tickets Hagrid had given him out of his pocket.

"We just take the train from platform nine and three-quarters at eleven o'clock," He read.

Their aunt and uncle started.

"Platform what?"

"Nine and three-quarters." Harmony repeated for Harry.

"Don't talk rubbish," said Uncle Vernon. "There is no platform nine and three-quarters."

"It's on our tickets." Harmony said taking one of the two tickets and looking at it closely.

"Barking," said Uncle Vernon, "howling mad, the lot of them. You'll see. You just wait. All right, we'll take you to King's Cross. We're going up tomorrow anyway, or I wouldn't bother.

"Why are you going to London?" Harry asked, trying to keep things friendly.

"Taking Dudley to the hospital," growled Uncle Vernon. " Got to have that ruddy tail removed before he goes to Smeltings."

With that the twins turned and ran up the stairs to their room. When they got in Harry shut and door and Harmony turned around to face him.

"We're going to Hogwarts! Harry, we're really going to Hogwarts!" She almost screamed. Then the twins hugged and began to laugh and smile broadly.

"Harry, I have one more thing to mention." Harmony said seriously. "Dudley has a tail." She ended laughing her head off.

The next morning Harmony was shaken awake by the over excited Harry.

"Get up! Harmony, get up!" He told her. She turned and looked at the clock it read 5 a.m.

"Why are you waking me up so early?" Harmony asked. She saw that Harry was dressed and his stuff was packed.

"I can't sleep and I want someone to talk to." Harry said.

"Okay." Harmony said and sleepily rolled out of bed.

Two hours later Harry and Harmony's stuff had been loaded into the Dursleys' car. They piled into the car to go; Dudley on the right far seat, Harry in the middle, and Harmony on the left, with Vernon and Petunia up front.

The whole way Harmony sat daydreaming about what thing would be like from now on and before she knew it, they were there. Uncle Vernon dumped Harry's trunk onto a cart and wheeled it into the station for him. Harmony only had her awesome backpack that now seemed to have unlimited space and when she needed something that she had put in there it appeared practically in her hand, thanks to Dumbledore.

Then Uncle Vernon stopped dead with the cart facing the platforms with a nasty grin on his face. Harmony had thought there was something fishy about Vernon pushing Harry's stuff for him.

"Well, there you are. Platform nine --- platform ten. Your platform should be somewhere in the middle, but they don't seen to have built it yet, do they?" Vernon said with a smirk upon his face.

Harmony looked for the number for the platform, but all she saw was a nine and a ten with nothing in the middle.

"Have a good term," Uncle Vernon said the smirk getting bigger on his face. He left without another work. The twins turned and saw the Dursleys drive away. All three of them laughing.

"What are we going to do?" Harmony asked very much discouraged.

"We'll ask that guard over there." Harry answered.

The twins went over as planned and asked the guard, but they didn't mention the platform number. The guard had never heard of Hogwarts and when they couldn't tell him anything more about it, he got annoyed. They tried every possible question to find the train, but in the end the guard just walked away.

"Maybe Hagrid forgot to tell us something." Harmony suggested.

"Yeah like tapping the bricks." Harry said taking out his wand and tapping the stand between platforms nine and ten.

At that moment a group of people passed just behind them and they caught a few words of what they were saying.

"----packed with Muggles, of course------"

The twins swung around. The speaker was a plump woman who was talking to four boys, all with flaming red hair. Each of them was pushing a trunk like Harry's in front of him---and they had an owl.

The twins looked at each other then at the group and began to follow them.

"Now what's the platform number?" said the boys' mother.

That's the last thing Harmony heard for a bit of time, she just zoned out watching the family. She watched what looked like the oldest boy go through, then she watched a funny scene in which two red-headed twins played the stars. They all seemed to vanish through the barrier Harmony thought. Then Harry nudged her and walked forward.

"Excuse me." Harry said politely.

"Hello, dears," She said. " First time at Hogwarts? Ron's new, too."

She pointed at the last and youngest of her sons. He was tall, thin, and gangling, with freckles, big hands and feet, and a long nose.

"Yes," This time Harmony answered.

"But we don't know---" Harry started.

"How to get onto the platform?" She said kindly, and the twins nodded.

"Not to worry," She said. "All you have to do is walk straight at the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Don't stop and don't be scared you'll crash into it, that's very important. Best do it at a bit of a run if you're nervous. Go on, go now before Ron."

The twins looked at each other and made a silent agreement that Harry would go first. He pushed his trolley around and started at the barrier. He went quicker and quicker then he disappeared into the wall.

"All right, now you dear." The woman said.

Harmony just went at a dead run with her backpack over her shoulder. She closed her eyes at the last second and then opened them. She was looking at a scarlet steam engine with a sign overhead that said Hogwarts Express, eleven o'clock. She immediately began looking for Harry, but he was right in front of her.

"Hey, that was kind of fun." Harmony stated. Harry just grinned at her in reply. They began moving down the platform looking for empty seats. Harmony was amazed at all the people who where there, it was simply wonderful.

Finally they found an empty compartment near the back. Harmony jumped onto the train and began to try to help her brother lift his trunk on. They tried and tried, but even with both their strength they couldn't do it.

"Want a hand?" A voice said. Harmony looked up, it was one of the red-haired twins she had seen earlier.

"Yes, please," Harry and Harmony said as Harmony climbed down beside her brother.

"Oy, Fred! C'mere and help!" The red-haired boy called.

With the red haired twins' help, Harry's trunk was at last tucked away in a corner of the compartment.

"Thanks," said Harry, wiping the sweaty hair from his face.

"What's that?" said one of the twins suddenly, pointing at Harry's lightning scar.

"Blimey," said the other twin. "Are you ----?"

"He is," said the first twin. "Aren't you?" he added.

"What?" Harry asked.

"Harry Potter." Chorused the twins.

"Oh him," said Harry. " I mean, yes, I am."

" And if you're then she's-----" said the twins looking now at Harmony.

"Harmony Potter, nice to meet you." Harmony said with a small smile.

Then their mother called them off the train and they left, still sort of gawking.

Harry sat down next to the window and Harmony sat next to him where they could hear and watch the red-haired family. The red-haired family didn't say anything real important, but they made Harmony laugh, especially those twins. Then what she was waiting for came up.

"Hey Mum, guess what? Guess who we just met on the train?"

"You know the black haired boy and the strawberry sandy blonde haired girl who were near us in the station? Know who they are?"

"Who?" the twins' mother asked.

" Harry and Harmony Potter!"

Harmony hid her face in her hands, fame was not exactly what she had wanted out of this.

"---Are they really Fred? How do you know?" She heard the mother's voice ask.

"Asked them. Saw his scar. It's really there---like lightning. Didn't see hers though."

" Poor dears---- no wonder they were alone, I wondered. They were ever so polite when asking how to get onto the platform."

"Never mind that, do you think they remember what You-Know-Who looks like?"

Their mother suddenly became very stern.

"I forbid you to ask them, Fred. No, don't you dare. As though they need reminding of that on their fist day at school."

That's all Harmony needed to hear. Bless that woman, whoever she was. She knew that Harmony didn't need to think about that. Harmony decided that if she ever got the chance she would thank that woman for what she had said.

By the time Harmony had come back to her senses the train was moving. She leaned back in her seat and was ready for anything that might come her way.


	9. The Train

Yes, here is the 9th chapter. There is a part in this chapter that is actually very dear to my heart. In this chapter the paragraph that talks about Harmony's best friend is kind of a tribute to my BFF. So watch out for that paragraph. Also I kind of did an awesome thing in the paragraph talking about how Harmony hates Draco because I was listening to "What is this Feeling?" from Wicked, see if you can pick it out!

**The Train**

The train hadn't moved to far when the compartment door opened and the youngest red-headed boy came in.

"Anyone sitting there?" he asked, pointing to the seat opposite Harry and Harmony. "Everywhere else in full."

Harry shook his head and the boy sat down. Harmony really didn't care that the boy was there; all she cared about was that Harry and her were together and that they were going to Hogwarts. When she looked over the boy was staring out the window.

"Hey, Ron."

The twins were back.

"Listen, we're going down the middle of the train-- Lee Jordan's got a giant tarantula down there."

"Right," mumbled Ron.

"Harry, Harmony," said the other twin, " did we introduce ourselves? Fred and George Weasley. And this is Ron, our brother. See you later, then."

"Bye," said Harry, Ron, and Harmony. The twins slid the compartment door shut behind them.

"Are you really the Potters?" Ron blurted out.

Harry and Harmony nodded.

"Oh-- well, I thought it might be one of Fred and George's jokes," said Ron. " And have you really got-- you know . . . "

He pointed at Harry's forehead.

Harry pulled back his bangs to show the lightning scar and Harmony rolled up her left sleeve and turned the inside of her arm out to show a matching one. Ron stared.

"So that's where You-Know-Who----?"

"Yes," said Harry. "but I can't remember it. And neither can Harmony."

"Nothing?" said Ron eagerly.

" Well-- I remember a lot of green light, but nothing else." Harry said and before Ron could ask Harmony gave her answer.

"Nothing really, just the green light." She said.

The three spent a lot of time getting to know each other. By the end Harmony learned that Ron had five brothers two of which had already left Hogwarts, he had a rat, and he couldn't afford an owl. Harmony liked Ron, she thought all three of them could be good friends.

They got food from a woman that Harmony grew to like very fast. Harmony was enjoying all the wizard food that she got to try when Harry unwrapped a Chocolate Frog and picked up the card. On the card she saw what she knew to be Dumbledore.

"Hey, that's Dumbledore!" Harmony said.

"So this is Dumbledore!" Harry said looking at Harmony. She had told him about her retrieval one day while they were bored just lounging in their room at the Dursleys.

The time ticked by as Harmony, Harry, and Ron talked and had fun. A boy came and asked if they had seen a toad and they had to answer no and Harmony felt bad for the boy. Then Ron tried to turn Scabbers yellow, but right when he was about to the door slip open again. The boy was back, but this time he had a girl with him. She was already wearing her new Hogwarts robes.

"Has anyone seen a toad? Neville's lost one," she said. She had a bossy sort of voice, lots of bushy brown hair, and rather large front teeth.

"We've already told him we haven't seen it," said Ron, but the girl wasn't listening, she was looking at the wand in his hand.

"Oh, are you doing magic? Let's see it, then."

She sat down. Ron looked taken aback.

"Er-- all right."

He cleared his throat.

_"Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow, _

_Turn this stupid fat rat yellow."_

He waved his wand, but nothing happened. Scabbers stayed gray and fast asleep.

"Are you sure that's a real spell?" said the girl. " Well, it's not very good, is it? I've tried a few simple spells just for practice and it's all worked for me. Nobody in my family's magic at all, it was ever such a surprise when I got my letter, but I was ever so pleased, of course, I mean, it's the very best school of witchcraft there is, I've heard-- I've learned all our course books by heart, of course, I just hope it will be enough-- I'm Hermione Granger, by the way, who are you?"

She said this all very fast. She kind of reminded Harmony of herself. Harmony had read through all the books in her spare time, but not learned them by heart. She wouldn't judge though, maybe eventually Hermione would be her friend.

"I'm Ron Weasley," Ron muttered.

"Harry Potter," said Harry.

"Harmony Potter," Harmony said.

"Are you really?" said Hermione. " I know all about you, of course—I got a few extra books for background reading, and you're in. . . " She went on, but Harmony didn't hear she was still not used to the fame thing so whenever it came up, she tuned out.

She began staring into spacing thinking of what now lay behind her. She thought of what lies would be told to cover for her absence. What her best friend would say to those lies? Would the girl who had known her since she was five in that world believe what lies were told to her concerning the whereabouts of her best friend? No, not likely, when Harmony returned this summer she would want the truth. What would Harmony say then? She couldn't tell the truth, but would it hurt too much to lie to the girl who had stood by her side through thick and thin for so many years? Yes, yes it would, but this is the price Harmony had to pay for living a double life. A life that she hadn't even chosen for herself and she would have to fight her way through all the prying questions and whatever else came when she returned home. No it wasn't fair, but as Harmony had figured out in the last eleven years of her life, life never would be fair.

Sometime during Harmony's thoughts Hermione Granger had left and the two boys had begun talking of the wizard game, Quidditch. When Harmony rejoined them Ron was explaining the game, famous games he had been to with his brothers, and the broomstick he'd like to get if he had the money. He was just taking Harry and Harmony through the finer points of the game when the compartment door slid open yet again, but it wasn't Neville the toadless boy, or Hermione Granger this time.

Three boys entered, and Harmony recognized the middle one at once: It was the pale boy from Madam Malkin's robe shop. He was looking at Harmony and her brother with a lot more interest than he'd shown back in Diagon Alley.

"Is it true?" he said. "They're saying all down the train that the Potters are in this compartment. So it's you two, is it?"

"Yes," Harry and Harmony said together. Harmony looked at the other boys. Both of them were thickset and looked extremely mean. Standing on either side of the pale boy, they looked like bodyguards.

"Oh, this is Crabbe and this is Goyle," said the boy carelessly. It was then Harmony noticed that Harry had also been looking at them. "And my name is Malfoy, Draco Malfoy."

Ron gave a slight cough, which might have been hiding a snigger. Draco Malfoy looked at Ron. Secretly Harmony thought the name was funny too, but she was good at masking things so she hadn't laughed.

"Think my name's funny, do you? No need to ask who you are. My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford."

It was then Harmony decided that she really didn't like Draco Malfoy. In fact she loathed him, who was he to say such awful things? No, he was too much like the popular crowd that she had hated in school, she couldn't like him. So she would loath him, most likely forever if he kept acting so snobbish.

"You'll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there."

He held out his hand to Harry and Harmony wondered what Harry would do. What would she do if he shook this boy's hand? What could she do? She was glad when Harry silenced all her fears.

"I think I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, thanks." Harry said coolly.

Draco Malfoy turned to Harmony his hand still held out. With her decision already made, what Harmony would do next didn't take much thought.

"Sorry, but you actually look kind of like the wrong sort to me and I'm taking your advice." She said with a small smirk on her face.

Draco Malfoy didn't go red, but a pink tinge appeared in his pale cheeks.

"I'd be careful if I were you," he said slowly. "Unless you're a bit politer you'll go the same way as your parents. They didn't know what was good for them, either. You hang around with riff-raff like the Weasleys and that Hagrid, and it'll rub off on you."

Harry, Harmony, and Ron stood up.

"Say that again," Ron said, his face as red as his hair.

"Oh, so you're going to fight us, are you?" Malfoy sneered.

"Unless you get out now," said Harmony, she wasn't afraid. So what if Crabbe and Goyle were bigger, the bigger they are the harder they fall, right? She was ready to give Malfoy what he deserved, and that was a strong right hook, right in the face.

"But we don't feel like leaving, do we, boys? We've eaten all our food and you still seem to have some."

Harmony didn't exactly catch what happened next. All she knew is that one moment the three boys were there and the next they were gone and in their place was Hermione Granger.

"What has been going on?" she said, looking at the sweets all over the floor and Ron picking up Scabbers by his tail.

"I think he's been knocked out," Ron said to Harry and Harmony. He looked closer at Scabbers. "No—I don't believe it—he's gone back to sleep."

And so he had. Harmony laughed hard at that.

"You've met Malfoy before?"

Harry and Harmony took turns explaining about their meeting in Diagon Alley.

"I've heard of his family," said Ron darkly. "They were some of the first to come back to our side after You-Know-Who disappeared. Said they'd been bewitched. My dad doesn't believe it. He says Malfoy's father didn't need an excuse to go over to the Dark Side." He turned to Hermione. "Can we help you with something?"

The rest of the ride was a blur. All Harmony knew was that Hermione left and they changed into their robes, then they were off the train and she heard a familiar voice boomed over their heads. "Firs' years! Firs' year over here! All right there, you two?"

Hagrid's big hairy face beamed over the sea of heads.

"C'mon, follow me— any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!"

Slipping and stumbling, they followed Hagrid down what seemed to be a steep, narrow path. It was so dark on either side of them that Harmony thought there must be thick trees there. Nobody spoke much. Harmony stayed quiet only because she had nothing to say. What could she say? She was finally almost to the place she had dreamed of from the moment Dumbledore had told her about it.

"Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," Hagrid called over his shoulder, "just' round this bend here."

There was a loud "Oooooh!"

The narrow path had opened suddenly onto the edge of a great black lake. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers.

"No more'n five to a boat!" Hagrid called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore. Harry, Ron, and Harmony were followed into their boat by Neville and Hermione.

"Everyone in?" shouted Hagrid, who had a boat to himself. "Right then—FORWARD!"

The boats began to move, gliding across the glassy lake. Everyone was quiet, but Harmony didn't mind. She just stared at the castle, watching it draw nearer. She thought of many things in this moment. How happy she was to be here at last, how fun it would be to learn magic, but she also worried a little about what house she would be in, would her teachers like her, and all the while she gazed at the beautiful building before her.

They had come through a dark tunnel, which seemed to take them under the castle, until they reached an underground harbor, where they clambered out onto rocks and pebbles. Hagrid had found Neville's toad and gave it back to him, then they clambered up a passageway in the rock after Hagrid's lamp, coming out at last onto smooth, damp grass right in the shadow of the castle.

They walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge oak front door.

"Everyone here? You there, still got yer toad?"

Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door. As he did that Harmony knew there was absolutely no going back, she was here and now all she had to focus on was all that she would learn about being a witch.


	10. Of Houses and Hats

I feel like it's been forever since I updated, but here's the next chapter. If you are wondering about the whole Snape thing, I'm planning to write a fan-fic from his POV explaining that part. Oh BTW no one knew what happened to Harmony after her parents died, so that explains why everyone is confused. I had to put the Peeves thing in so you would get that Harmony is a secret prankster because that might be important later. Enjoy reading, because I had fun writing!

**Of Houses and Hats**

The door swung open at once. A tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes stood there. She had a very stern face and Harmony thought that this was a teacher of stature and someone that she could possibly befriend.

Hagrid exchanged a few words with what Harmony found out to be Professor McGonagall. Then they were sent inside. It was more amazing than Harmony could have thought. The entrance hall was huge, the stone walls were lit with torches, the ceiling was so high that Harmony couldn't see the top, and a gorgeous marble staircase facing them led to the upper floors.

They moved on across the flagged stone floor. Harmony heard voices from a doorway to the right and assumed the rest of the school must already be in the room, but Professor McGonagall showed them into a small, empty chamber off the hall. They all crammed in looking around nervously.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your Houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your House will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your House, sleep in your House dormitory, and spend free time in your House common room.

"The four Houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each House its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your House points, while any rule-breaking will lose House points. At the end of the year, the House with the most points is awarded the House Cup, a great honor. I hop each of you will be a credit to whichever House becomes yours. "

"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting."

Harmony began straightening her clothes and hair. She looked over to see Harry trying to flatten his hair and she let out an inaudible giggle. She turned back to face Professor McGonagall, smiling sweetly.

"I shall return when we are ready for you," said Professor McGonagall. "Please wait quietly."

She left the chamber and Harmony all of a sudden became very nervous.

"How exactly do they sort us into Houses?" Harmony heard her brother ask Ron.

"Some sort of test, I think. Fred said it hurts a lot, but I think he was joking."

A test, what could she do? She began frantically going through every book she had read over the summer in her head, or what she could remember. She was in the middle of going over potion ingredients when something happened that dragged her away from her frantic study.

She turned to see about twenty ghosts streaming through the back wall. Pearly-white and slightly transparent, they glided across the room talking to one another and hardly glancing at the first years. They seemed to be arguing. What looked like a fat little monk was saying: "Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance –"

"My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad name and you know, he's not really even a ghost – I say, what are you all doing here?"

A ghost wearing a ruff and tights had suddenly noticed the first years. Harmony was entranced at the ghost, but didn't answer the question that had been posed.

"New students!" said the Fat Friar, smiling around at them. "About to be Sorted, I suppose?"

Harmony along with a few people nodded, not saying a word.

"Hope to see you in Hufflepuff!" said the Friar. " My old House, you know."

"Move along now," said a sharp voice. " The Sorting Ceremony's about to start."

Professor McGonagall had returned. One by one, the ghosts floated away through the opposite wall.

"Now, form a line," Professor McGonagall told the first years, "and follow me."

Harmony got into line in between Ron and Harry with Harry leading the way. They walked out of the chamber, back across the hall, and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall.

Harmony was stunned into a deeper silence. The Great hall was lit with thousands and thousands of candles that were floating in midair over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting. These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. At the top of the hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting. Professor McGonagall led the first years up here, so that they came to a halt in a line facing the other students, with the teachers behind them. The hundreds of faces staring at them looked like pale lanterns in the flickering candlelight. Dotted here and there among the students, the ghosts shone misty silver. Harmony looked up and saw a velvety black ceiling dotted with stars. Harmony gathered at once that it must be bewitched, but it still was beautiful.

Harmony watched as Professor McGonagall placed a four-legged stool in front of them. On top of the stool she put a pointed wizard's hat. This hat was patched and frayed and extremely dirty.

Harmony thought of what a hat would be used for. She went through countless possibilities and then became extremely nervous. Then the hat twitched. A tip near the brim open wide like a mouth – and the hat began to sing.

Harmony listened to it closely for some sign of a test, but all it sang about was the House traits and how it would be Sorting them. Harmony relaxed when she knew that she wouldn't be tested. From what the sorting hat had said Gryffindor and Ravenclaw sounded right for her, but if she got Slytherin, she thought she might just die right there on the Great Hall floor.

Professor McGonagall now stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment.

"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said. "Abbott, Hannah."

And then they were off, with people getting sorted left and right. Harmony watched Hermione Granger go to Gryffindor, which she thought was odd because Hermione seemed extremely smart and seemed to fit more into Ravenclaw standards. Neville Longbottom was also Sorted in Gryffindor, which Harmony thought odd too as Neville didn't seem to have much courage. As planned Draco Malfoy was Sorted into Slytherin with the hat barely touching his white-blonde hair. Harmony watched him strut over to the Slytherin table, hating him all the way.

There weren't may left now. Harry and Harmony must be close and then it came.

"Potter, Harry!"

Harry walked forward to surprised muttering throughout the hall. Then the hat went over his eyes and Harmony crossed her fingers. After what seemed like ages the hat finally shouted Gryffindor and Harmony gave Harry a thumbs up and a huge smile. After he sat down with a lot of cheers what Harmony had dreaded finally came.

"Potter, Harmony!"

Harmony could feel her stomach go into her throat as she walked forward.

"But, she disappeared years ago."

"No one knows where she went."

"She did say Harmony, right?"

These were the things Harmony heard all the way up to the stool. She sat down and the hat fell over her eyes.

"Ah yes, another Potter. I can tell by your mind." A small voice whispered in her ear. "You're a little less hard to place than your brother. A lot of brains, but also a lot of cunning, stubborn, talented, and a lot of wit, but where can I put you? Slytherin? Ah yes, that sounds about right."

Harmony couldn't have that; she began pulling out every memory of hers that showed care, love, and loyalty.

"Not wanting to go there either? Your brother had the same issue, but you are much more Slytherin than he was. You could be great you know, much greater than anyone here." The small voice coaxed.

Harmony continued with her memories and began pleading mentally not to be put in Slytherin.

"I could override you. I could put you there even though you don't want to go. It would be the best for you." The small voice said somewhat darkly.

"No, I won't. I won't go down without a fight. I'll—I'll do awful then prove that I was meant to be in a different house. I'll find my way there. I won't let you control my life." Harmony whispered softly and harshly. While she whispered this quickly the hat was announcing its decision, but stopped mid-word.

"Sly—Gryffindor!" It announced.

Harmony took off the hat and ran down to the Gryffindor table smiling all the way. Her hand was shaken many times and she sat down right next to Harry. She believed secretly that she had gotten more cheers than him.

Ron ended up in Gryffindor and Ron sat on the other side of Harry.

Then Dumbledore got to his feet, but all he had to say was "Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!" Then the feast began and Harmony enjoyed all the food she could get her hands on. Harmony met Nearly Headless Nick and found out that not only could Nick almost detach his head from his neck, but that Slytherin had won the House Cup six years in a row. That was going to change Harmony was absolutely sure of it.

Harmony finished eating early and just sat listing to other conversations. Hermione and Percy were discussing lessons; Neville, Ron, and a boy named Seamus were discussing wizard blood; and all seemed right in the world.

Harmony looked up at the High Table and scanned it. She marked the faces she knew: Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Quirrell. There was a teacher that she didn't know with greasy black hair, a hooked nose, and sallow skin. He was talking to Professor Quirrell.

All of a sudden the teacher was looking past Quirrell and straight into Harmony's eyes. A sharp pain erupted from her left arm, she almost screamed out, but bit her lip instead. Then it stopped and Harmony was all right.

The look he had given her was one that Harmony couldn't calculate. It was in an odd way hostile, but also a look of what might be seen as hope. She turned to the prefect Weasley boy, Percy, who was sitting next to her.

"Who's that teacher talking to Professor Quirrell?" she asked.

"Oh, you know Quirrell already, do you? No wonder he's looking so nervous, that's Professor Snape. He teaches Potions, but he doesn't want to – everyone knows he's after Quirrell's job. Knows an awful lot about the Dark Arts, Snape."

Harmony began watching Snape, but he only looked back her way once and that time it was at Harry.

"Ouch!" Harry clapped a hand to his head.

"What?" Harmony asked him.

"My scar was burning." Harry said in a low voice.

"Mine was earlier." Harmony answered putting her hand on his arm.

"Who is that teacher?" Harry said looking up at Snape.

"That, my dear brother, is Professor Snape. He teaches potions, but apparently fancies the Dark Arts." Harmony said in a know-it-all voice.

"I don't think I'm going to like him much." Harry said.

"Now Harry, let's not judge. Although to tell you the truth I don't think I'll like him either." Harmony said with a small smile.

They continued to watch their Potions professor, but he did not look back at the twins.

After desert Dumbledore gave his real speech telling them that there was no magic in the corridors between classes, when the Quidditch trails would be, and that the third-floor corridor right-hand side was out of bounds to anyone who doesn't wish to die a most painful death. Harmony thought the "a most painful death" part was a little weird, but she could live with it.

Then they began to sing the school song, everyone sang it to their favorite tune. That was the most different thing Harmony had ever encountered, usually school songs had a certain rhyme and rhythm, but that wasn't the case at Hogwarts.

After the school song they were suppose to go to bed. Percy lead them to the Gryffindor dormitories and it was on their way that Harmony met Peeves.

They came across a bundle of walking sticks floating in midair ahead of them, and as Percy took a step toward them they started throwing themselves at him.

"Peeves," Percy whispered to the first years. "A poltergeist," He raised his voice, "Peeves – show yourself."

A loud, rude sound, like the air being let out of a balloon, answered.

"Do you want me to go to the Bloody Baron?"

There was a pop, and a little man with wicked, dark eyes and a wide mouth appeared, floating cross-legged in the air, clutching the walking sticks.

"Oooooooh!" he said, with an evil cackle. "Ickle Firsties! What fun!"

He swooped suddenly at them. They all ducked.

"Go away, Peeves, or the Baron'll hear about this, I mean it!" barked Percy.

Peeves stuck out his tongue and vanished, dropping the walking sticks on Neville's head. They heard him zooming away, rattling coats of armor as he passed.

"You want to watch out for Peeves," said Percy, as they set of again. "The Bloody Baron's the only one who can control him, he won't even listen to us prefects. Here we are."

Harmony decided she kind of liked Peeves. He really didn't obey anyone and that was the sort of freedom Harmony would like, but she knew she needed some rules. Maybe, if she was lucky, she could make friends with Peeves and maybe come up with some killer pranks.

At the very end of the corridor hung a portrait of a very fat woman in a pink silk dress.

"Password?" she said.

"Caput Draconis." said Percy, and the portrait swung forward to reveal a round hole in the wall. They all scrambled through it and found themselves in the Gryffindor common room, a cozy, round room full of squashy armchairs.

Percy directed the girls through one door to their dormitory and the boys through another. Harmony said goodnight to Harry and followed her fellow girls up to their dormitory.

When she got their Harmony saw beds for each girl and all their things. The beds were four-posters hung with deep red, velvet curtains. Harmony's backpack sat at the foot of her bed. She changed into her pajamas and fell into a deep sleep.

Harmony didn't know why, but she had the oddest dream. She was lying in the arms of someone and she was very small. She heard a lullaby being sung to her; it was a song she had heard before. The scene changed and she was running toward a tall pair of jeaned legs, she heard soft low laughter then felt herself get picked up. Then suddenly she was in a crib and she heard high cold laughter and saw a flash of green light. She woke up and sat bolt upright, she began to cry because she knew she had just seen a bit of her dreadful past.


	11. Something New

I know this is a pretty short chapter, but this is just kind of a fun chapter that gives you a little insight into Harmony. Also it tells you about why she sleeps in the boys dormitory and don't worry about any creepiness, they're all like brothers to her. So just read this chapter for kicks and giggles!

**Something New**

Whispers followed Harry and Harmony from the moment they walked out of the common room. Harmony had been right in hating the fame because it was really starting to bug her. People shoving other people around just to get a look at her, it was ridiculous.

Harmony didn't need them staring at her, she was having enough trouble just finding her classes. The castle had one hundred and forty-two staircases all of different shapes and sizes, doors that wouldn't open unless asked politely or tickled them, not to mention the doors that weren't doors at all. I was all so confusing and when you thought you had it down it just seemed to change again!

The caretaker, Argus Filch, made life so much worse. Harry, Harmony, and Ron managed to get on the wrong side of him on their very first morning. Filch found them trying to force their way through a door that unluckily turned out to be the entrance to the out-of-bounds corridor on the third floor. He wouldn't believe they were lost, was sure they were trying to break into it on purpose, and was threatening to lock them in the dungeons when they were rescued by Professor Quirrell, who was passing.

To make matters worse Filch had a cat called Mrs. Norris. She was scrawny, dust-colored creature with bulging, lamplike eyes just like Filch's. She patrolled the corridors alone, Break a rule in from of her, put just on toe out of line, and she'd whisk off for Filch, who'd appear, wheezing, two seconds later. Harmony had learned all this in a short while.

Harmony liked most of her teachers though and she had learned a lot about the different areas of magic. Professor Sprout was the Herbology teacher, Professor Binns was the History of Magic teacher (easily the most boring class), Professor Flitwick taught Charms, and Professor McGonagall taught Transfiguration. It was in Transfiguration Harmony found not only a teacher that she could befriend, but also something about her sleeping arrangements.

Harmony had managed a little better than Hermione Granger in turning her match into a needle. She had gotten all of it down except the eye and had gotten a slightly bigger smile from McGonagall than Hermione. At the end of class they were packing up to leave when Harmony heard her name being called.

"Harmony Potter."

Harmony spun around to face Professor McGonagall.

"A word please." Her Professor said.

"Yes." Harmony said arriving at McGonagall's desk.

"You will sleep in the boy's dormitory from now on. You will have special spell put on your bed so you will be all right to change and things without any disruptions. Am I clear?"

Harmony was astonished and confused.

"Professor, how did this come about?" Harmony asked politely.

"Professor Dumbledore thinks it wise that you and your brother spend the most time together possible. Now, your things will have been moved already. You are dismissed." McGonagall answered her.

"Thank you, Professor." Harmony said and began to walk away.

"Oh Harmony one more thing,"

"Yes Professor?" Harmony asked.

"You did wonderful today." McGonagall said smiling.

"Thank you, Professor." Harmony said returning the smile and walking out of the room with renewed confidence.

When Harmony told Harry and Ron they were ecstatic.

"Really?" said Ron. "You must be the first girl ever to do it!"

"It's all to just to keep us together though?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, I guess." Harmony answered.

"You've got to mind though? Sleeping with boys, I mean." Ron said.

"No, not really. I've always gotten along better with boys than with girls. It's just me I guess." Harmony answered closing the subject.

Later that night Harmony walked up to the boy's dormitory with Harry and Ron beside her.

"Maybe we should knock." Harmony said.

"Why?" the boys asked.

" Um—me." Harmony said.

"Oh yeah." The boys laughed.

"We could just go in, Harmony. We'll call you in if it's all clear." Harry said and they went in.

Harmony waited for them to come back and about ten seconds later they did.

"All clear. They've been playing with your bed." Harry said.

"What?" Harmony asked.

"Apparently when someone is in there and the hangings are shut it shocks and shoots back anyone who touches them. And if that weren't enough the hangings stick together like glue from the outside." Harry told her.

"If I didn't know better I'd say you were playing with it too." Harmony said.

"Well—never mind." Harry replied. "Watch Seamus."

"That is so cool!" Harmony said, as she watched Seamus get shot backward across the room.

That night Harmony slept pretty well with the boys. It was actually kind of nice for her since she had always been somewhat of a tomboy. She believed that this would turn out to be a good thing in the end.


	12. Knew He was Trouble

You have to love Snape and then you have to hate him. It's a very complex love-hate relationship. Anyway this is the little chapter on Harmony's first potions lesson! I hope you enjoy it and thanks for reading!

**Knew He was Trouble**

It was Friday and Friday was an important day for Harry, Ron, and Harmony. They didn't get lost once on their way down to the Great Hall for breakfast.

"What have we got today, men?" Harmony asked the boys taking a bite of porridge.

"Double Potions with the Slytherins," said Ron. " Snape's Head of Slytherin House. They say he always favors them – we'll be able to see if it's true."

"Wish McGonagall favored us," said Harry. Professor McGonagall was head of Gryffindor House, but it hadn't stopped her from giving them homework. That was to be expected though, she was a teacher.

"Oh, you two are such babies." Harmony said.

Harmony and Harry got a letter from Hagrid asking to have a cup of tea with him around three. They replied with the only logical answer, yes.

Harmony had known that maybe she wasn't Snape's favorite from the start-of-term banquet. She had also known that maybe he didn't like Harry that much either, but by the end of Potions she was utterly convinced that Snape totally loathed the pair of them.

Potions lessons took place down in one of the dungeons. It was colder here than up in the main castle, and would have been quite creepy enough without the pickled animals floating in glass jars all around the walls.

Snape, like Flitwick, started class by taking the roll call, and like Flitwick, he paused at Harry and Harmony's names.

"Ah, yes," he said softly, " The Potters. Our new – celebrities."

Draco Malfoy and his friends Crabbe and Goyle sniggered behind their hands and Harmony had the biggest urge to go over and punch all three of them straight in the face. Snape finished calling the names and looked up at the class. His eyes were black like Hagrid's, but they had none of Hagrid's warmth. They were cold and empty and made you think of dark tunnels.

"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making," he began. He spoke in barely more than a whisper, but they caught every word – like Professor McGonagall, Snape had the gift of keeping a class silent without effort. Although in Harmony's opinion McGonagall was much better than Snape. "As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses . . . . I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death – if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."

More silence followed this little speech. Harmony was staring at Snape with a wild look of longing in her eyes. She knew she could do this, she'd prove that she could. It might be so tough that she would want to give up, but she wouldn't, she would prove her worth.

"Potter!" shouted Snape suddenly. Harry and Harmony looked at each other and then at Snape. As if reading their minds, Snape corrected himself.

"Mr. Potter. What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

As if on queue the answer flowed to the top of Harmony's mind. She knew this, but did Harry. Harmony watched him carefully looking for some sign of knowledge. Out of the corner of her eye she say Hermione's hand raised.

"I don't know, sir," said Harry.

Snape's lip curled into a sneer. Harmony immediately felt a burst of rage start in her chest and fill her whole body with anger.

"Tut, tut – fame clearly isn't everything."

He ignored Hermione's hand.

"Let's try again. Potter, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?"

Harmony again looked toward Harry desperately, she knew this too. She heard laughter and turned to see Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle. She could kill those three, but she'd have to do it later because right now her brother needed her.

"I don't know, sir." Harry answered again.

"Thought you wouldn't open a book before coming, eh, Potter?"

Taunting Harry! On the first day of class! How could he remember all this stuff? Harmony set her face in stone as she looked at Snape and waited to see what he'd do next.

"What is the difference, Potter, between monkshood and wolfsbane?"

Harmony could almost hit her head on the desk, why couldn't it have been her he asked the questions to? She knew all of the answers. Out of the corner of her eye she say Hermione stand up hand stretching toward the dungeon ceiling.

"I don't know." Harry answered once again.

Snape smirked even more and looked at Harry in triumph.

"Well, well, well. One of the Potters' brains is filled with air, let's test the other." Snape turned on Harmony.

Harmony felt her heart beat quicker in anticipation, she felt the bottled rage begin to loosen. She'd get Snape, oh yes, right here and right now.

"Question one, in case you weren't listening," Snape said with a smirk. " What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

"A powerful sleeping potion known as the Draught of Living Death, sir." Harmony said, a small smirk beginning to break out on her face.

Snape's smirk vanished immediately.

"Beginners luck. Let's try again." He said. " Where would you look to find a bezoar?"

"The stomach of a goat, sir." Harmony answered.

Harmony smirked even more as she saw Snape's astonishment. He regained composure almost immediately though so she didn't have long to enjoy it.

"Well I see you may have read a little more than your dunce of a brother. Third question: What is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?" Snape asked his smirk returning just as quickly as it had left.

"There is no difference, sir," Harmony began a smirk fully on her face her eyes lowered to the table. " They are the same plant and it is also known as aconite."

Harmony folded her arms across her chest and looked up into Snape's cold black eyes, waiting for approval.

Snape's fury showed for only a second before he turned from Harmony and began to speak to the whole class.

"Well? Why aren't you all copying that down?"

Harmony smirked as pulled out her quill and ink and began copying down the things that she had answered. Harmony thought that she had established herself well; maybe Snape would tone it down a little.

Snape put them all into pairs and set them to mixing up a simple potion to cure boils. He swept around in his long black cloak, watching them weigh dried nettles and crush snake fangs, criticizing almost everyone except Malfoy, whom he seemed to like. He was just telling everyone to look at the perfect way Malfoy had stewed his horned slugs when clouds of acid green smoke and a loud hissing filled the dungeon. Neville had somehow managed to melt Seamus's cauldron into a twisted blob, and their potion was seeping across the stone floor, burning holes in people's shoes. Within seconds, the whole class was standing on their stools while Neville, who had been drenched in the potion when the cauldron collapsed, moaned in pain as angry red boils sprang up all over his arms and legs.

"Idiot boy!" snarled Snape, clearing the spilled potion away with one wave of his wand. "I suppose you added the porcupine quills before taking the cauldron off the fire?"

Neville whimpered as boils started to pop up all over his nose. Harmony was angry, how dare Snape talk to Neville that way! Everyone makes mistakes, who was he to judge what was okay and not?

"Take him up to the hospital wing," Snape spat at Seamus. Then he took his revenge one Harmony for earlier. He rounded on Harmony and Parvati Patil, who had been working next to Neville.

"You – Potter—if you're so smart, why didn't you tell him not to add the quills? Thought he'd make you look good if he got it wrong, did you? One point from Gryffindor for your pride."

Then he turned on Harry and Ron, who had been working on the other side of Neville.

"Thought the same did you, Potter?" He questioned Harry. "That's another point from Gryffindor."

Harmony kept her eyes straightforward and gripped the desk with all her might. She was angry, but she would keep control. She wouldn't give Snape another reason to take points.

As Harmony, Harry, and Ron climbed out of the dungeons an hour later; they were speaking rapidly about what had just happened.

"Why? That's what I want to know. What did we ever do to him?" Harmony vented.

"I don't know Har." Harry said using the nickname he'd given Harmony.

"Ugh I swear – I should've—maybe if I . . ." Harmony trialed off.

"Har, there's nothing you could've done. I just want to know why he hates us so much." Harry said.

"I don't know, but I intend to find out sometime." Harmony said savagely.

Harmony didn't know how close to right she was. Harry and Harmony took Ron down to Hagrid's because he'd wanted to come. They talked a little about random things, Ron was introduced, and then they got to the interesting subject . . . Snape.

Harry and Harmony told Hagrid about Snape's lesson. Hagrid, like Ron, told Harry and Harmony not to worry about it, that Snape liked hardly any of the students.

"But he seemed to really hate us." Harmony stated.

"Rubbish!" said Hagrid. "Why should he?"

Yet Harmony knew he hadn't met their eyes when he said that. There was something going on that Harmony didn't know and she would find out what it was sooner or later.

Hagrid began talking with Ron about his brother, Charlie. Harry and Harmony found a piece of paper that was lying on the table under the tea cozy. It was an article from the Daily Prophet. It explained about a Gringotts break in on the same day they had gone and that the vault had been emptied that same day. They asked Hagrid about it and he just brushed it off. Harmony knew that the vault they had been emptied was the same vault they had gone to and emptied.

They left Hagrid's hut and headed back up to the castle. Harmony's mind was filled with questions that she didn't voice. Why did Snape hate her? What had happened? Could it be fixed? What was Hagrid not telling her about? Why did someone try to break into that vault? What was in that grubby little package?

These questions would have to be solved in due time she guessed and until that time she would wait and watch for clues and signs that could lead her to her answers.


	13. The Seeker and the Chaser

I hate school! It keeps me from writing awesome chapters that give me joy! Dumb parabolas! Well anyway, I know it's been awhile, but here's the next chapter. Read carefully and enjoy! I promise that the next chapter will be up as soon as I can get to it. And just to let you know, I crack myself up. _"Don't worry Wood. With her size and skill she'll weave right through Severus's giants."_

**The Seeker and the Chaser**

Harmony hated Malfoy, that was as clear as crystal. Though lucky for her she didn't have to put up with him much. She had Potions with him and that was it until the Flying lessons list was posted. Flying would be starting on Thursday and as luck would have it they had it with the Slytherins.

Everyone was very nervous. Harry complained about flying in front of Malfoy. Neville was hanging off of Hermione's words because she'd done research on flying on brooms. To this bout of nervousness Harmony was exempt, she had learned long ago that you couldn't be good at everything. So naturally she didn't care if she made a fool of herself, she'd just wing it if she did.

At three-thirty on Thursday afternoon, they all hurried down the front steps onto the grounds for their first flying lesson. It was a clear, breezy day, and the grass rippled under their feet as they marched down the sloping lawns toward a smooth, flat lawn on the opposite side of the grounds to the forbidden forest, whose trees were swaying darkly in the distance.

The Slytherins were already there, and so were twenty broomsticks lying in neat lines on the ground. Harmony had heard Fred and George Weasley complain about the school brooms, saying that some of them started to vibrate if you flew too high, or always flew slightly to the left.

Their teacher, Madam Hooch, arrived. She had short, gray hair, and yellow eyes like a hawk.

"Well, what are you all waiting for?" she barked. "Everyone stand by a broomstick. Come, on hurry up."

Harmony looked at her broom. It was old and some of the twigs stuck out at odd angles, but Harmony knew that sometimes old things worked well. She just hoped this was the case with her broom.

"Stick out your right hand over your broom," called Madam Hooch at the front, "and say 'UP!'"

"UP!" everyone shouted.

Harmony's broom jumped into her hand at once, but it was one of the few that did. Hermione Granger's had simply rolled over on the ground, and Neville's hadn't moved at all. Harry's had gone to his hand, like Harmony's, she looked over at him and smiled.

Madam Hooch then showed them how to mount their brooms without sliding off the end, and walked up and down the rows correct their grips. Harry, Harmony, and Ron were delighted when she told Malfoy he'd been doing it wrong for years.

She gave them instructions on what they would do next: which was to kick off, hover, then come back down. They were to do that on her whistle.

"—Three – two—"

But Neville, nervous and jumpy and frightened of being left on the ground, pushed off hard before the whistle had touched Madam Hooch's lips.

They all watched in horror as Neville rose straight up like a cork shot out of a bottle. Harmony watched him fall off his broom and –

WHAM – a thud and a nasty crack and Neville lay facedown on the grass in a heap. His broomstick was still rising higher and higher, and started to drift lazily toward the forbidden forest and out of sight.

Madam Hooch was bending over Neville, her face as white as his.

"Broken wrist," Harry heard her mutter. "Come on, boy – it's all right, up you get."

She turned to the rest of the class.

"None of you is to move while I take this boy to the hospital wing! You leave those brooms where they are or you'll be out of Hogwarts before you can say 'Quidditch.' Come on, dear."

Neville, his face tear-streaked clutching his wrist, hobbled off with Madam Hooch, who had her arm around him.

No sooner were they out of earshot than Malfoy burst into laughter.

"Did you see his face, the great lump?"

The other Slytherins joined in.

"Shut up, Malfoy," snapped Parvati Patil.

"Ooh, sticking up for Longbottom?" said Pansy Parkinson, a hard-faced Slytherin girl. "Never thought you'd like fat little cry babies, Parvati."

"Look!" said Malfoy, darting forward and snatching something out of the grass. "It's that stupid thing Longbottom's gran sent him."

The Remembrall that Neville had gotten that morning, glittered in the sun as Malfoy held it up.

"Give that here, Malfoy." Harry said quietly. Everyone stopped talking to watch. Harmony turned to look at her brother and smiled a little.

Malfoy smiled nastily.

"I think I'll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find – how about – up a tree?"

"Give it here!" Harmony said, continuing what her brother had started. Malfoy just leapt onto his broomstick and took off. He hadn't been lying, he could fly well. Hovering level with the topmost branches of an oak he called, "Come and get it Potter!"

Harry grabbed his broom and Harmony followed suit.

"No!" Hermione Granger. "Madam Hooch told us not to move – you'll get us all into trouble."

The twins ignored her. Harmony's head was clear, she knew what she had to do. Adrenaline was pumping through her body. She mounted the broom and kicked hard against the ground and up, up she soared; air rushed though her hair, and her robes whipped out behind her. She had always dreamt of flying, but this exceeded all her dreams. It was like floating only on the wind itself, it was like all gravity had ceased to exist and now she could do anything. She pulled her broom up to go higher and saw her brother follow her from behind.

They turned their broomsticks sharply to face Malfoy in midair. Malfoy looked stunned.

"Give it here!" Harry called.

"Or we'll knock you off that broom!" Harmony said smirking.

"Oh, yeah?" said Malfoy, trying to sneer, but looking worried. Maybe he didn't like the idea of facing them both at the same time in the air.

Harry shot toward Malfoy like a javelin. Malfoy only just got out of the way in time; Harry made a sharp about-face and held the broom steady. Harmony smiled, this was fun.

"No Crabbe and Goyle up here to save your neck, Malfoy." Harmony called still smiling broadly.

The same thought seemed to have struck Malfoy.

"Catch it if you can, then!" he shouted, and he threw the glass ball high into the air and streaked back toward the ground.

Harry went for it and caught the Remembrall close to the ground then somersaulted. The ball fell out of his grip and was now falling to the ground yet again. Harmony swooped in and grabbed it in passing. She braked in the air and landed one the ground grinning from ear to ear.

"POTTER!"

Her heart sank fast and she looked toward Harry. Professor McGonagall was running toward them.

"Never—in all my time at Hogwarts –"

Professor McGonagall was almost speechless with shock, and her glasses flashed furiously, "—how dare you – might have broken your necks—"

"It wasn't their fault, Professor – "

"Be quiet, Miss Patil –"

"But Malfoy –"

"That's enough, Mr. Weasley. Both of you, follow me, now."

Harmony caught sight of Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle's triumphant faces as they left, walking numbly in Professor McGonagall's wake as she strode toward the castle. They were going to be expelled and there was nothing she could do about it. Professor McGonagall was sweeping along without even looking at them; they had to jog to keep up. Now she'd done it. She hadn't even lasted two weeks. They'd be packing their bags in ten minutes. What would her mother say? Would she go back there? Would she be sent back to be her double forever? How could she cope with that after all she had learned of herself?

They wound their way through the castle without saying a word. Maybe she was taking them to Dumbledore. What would he say? Harmony thought of the things she might hear if that was where they were going. She could handle the expulsion better than the disappointment Dumbledore was sure to show in her. She began to cry a little, just small silent tears rolling gently down her checks.

Professor McGonagall stopped outside of a classroom. She opened the door and poked her head inside.

"Excuse me, Professor Flitwick, could I borrow Wood for a moment?"

Wood? Maybe Harmony hadn't caught a small word and she had said "some wood". They were going to be paddled and then expelled. Harmony had stopped crying and was now just looking down at the floor in despair.

It turned out Harmony hadn't heard wrong. Wood turned out to be a person, a burly fifth-year boy who came out of Flitwick's class looking confused.

"Follow me, you three," said Professor McGonagall, and they marched on up the corridor, Wood looking curiously at the twins.

"In here."

Professor McGonagall pointed them into a classroom that was empty except for Peeves, who was busy writing rude words on the blackboard.

"Out, Peeves!" she barked. Peeves threw the chalk into a bin, which clanged loudly, and he swooped out cursing. Professor McGonagall slammed the door behind him and turned to face them.

"This is Oliver Wood. Wood – I've found you a Seeker and a Chaser."

Wood's expression changed from puzzlement to delight.

"Are you serious, Professor?"

"Absolutely," said Professor McGonagall crisply. "They're both naturals. I've never seen anything like it. Was that your first time on a broomstick?"

The twins nodded silently. Harmony had no clue what was going on, but they didn't seem to be being expelled, and some of the pressure began to lessen.

"The boy caught the thing in his hand after a fifty-foot dive," Professor McGonagall told Wood. "Charlie Weasley couldn't have done it. Then after he caught it he somersaulted and the ball went up again. Then Harmony swooped across and caught it in passing. She had perfect control the whole time."

Wood was now looking as though all his dreams had come true at once.

"Ever seen a game of Quidditch?" he asked excitedly.

"Wood's captain of the Gryffindor team," Professor McGonagall explained.

"He's just the build for a Seeker, too," said Wood, now walking around Harry and staring at him. "Light – speedy—but her – so small." Wood had switched to walking around Harmony.

"I'm not sure Professor. The Slytherin team has players twice her size—she could get hurt bad and she'll be an immediate target."

"Don't worry Wood. With her size and skill she'll weave right through Severus's giants." Professor McGonagall said.

"All right." Wood said. "We'll have to get them decent brooms, Professor – Nimbus Two Thousands or Cleansweep Sevens, I'd say."

"I shall speak to Professor Dumbledore and see if we can't bend the first-year rule. Heaven knows, we need a better team than last year. Flattened in that last match by Slytherin, I couldn't look Severus Snape in the face for weeks . . ."

Professor McGonagall peered sternly over her glasses at the twins.

"I want to hear you're training hard, or I may change my mind about punishing you."

Then she suddenly smiled.

"Your father would have been proud," she said. "He was an excellent Quidditch player himself."


	14. The Duel and the Dog

Math got easier and plus I started this chapter last night! I know this chapter has a lot of wording from the book, but I felt it was important and I really didn't have much wiggle room. So to make up for that I gave you a strong sense of how much Harmony loves trouble. She is like James in that way, which I think is totally awesome, but unlike James she won't go looking hard for trouble she'll just enjoy it when it comes so no worries. I'll try to get the next chapter up ASAP, but until then enjoy!

**The Duel and the Dog**

"You're joking."

It was dinner time. Harry and Harmony had just finished telling Ron what had happened when they'd left the grounds with Professor McGonagall. Ron had a piece of steak and kidney pie halfway to his mouth, but he'd forgotten all about it.

"Seeker? Chaser?" he said. "But first years never – you must be the youngest House players in about –"

"—a century," said Harmony, eating slowly unlike her brother. She had been reading a book so she needed time to process what she was reading. "Wood told us."

Ron was so amazed, so impressed, he just sat and gaped at them.

"We start training next week," said Harry. "Only don't tell anyone, Wood want to keep it a secret."

Fred and George Weasley now came into the hall, spotted Harry and Harmony, and hurried over.

"Well done," said George in a low voice. "Wood told us. We're on the team too – Beaters."

"I tell you, we're going to win that Quidditch Cup for sure this year," said Fred. " We haven't won since Charlie left, but this year's team is going to be brilliant. You must be good. Wood was almost skipping when he told us."

"Anyway, we've got to go, Lee Jordan reckons he's found a new secret passageway out of the school."

"Bet it's that one behind the statue of Gregory the Smarmy that we found in our first week. See you."

Fred and George had hardly disappeared when someone far less welcome turned up: Malfoy, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle.

"Having a last meal? When are you getting the train back to the Muggles?"

"You're a lot braver now that you're back on the ground and you've got your little friends with you," Harry said coolly. There was of course nothing at all little about Crabbe and Goyle, but as the High Table was full of teachers, neither of them could do more than crack their knuckles and scowl.

"I'd take you on anytime on my own," said Malfoy. "Tonight, if you want. Wizard's duel. Wands only – no contact. What's the matter? Never heard of a wizard's duel before, I suppose?"

"Of course he has," said Ron, wheeling around. "I'm his second, who's yours?"

Malfoy looked at Crabbe and Goyle sizing them up.

"Crabbe," he said. "Midnight all right? We'll meet you in the trophy room; that's always unlocked."

Malfoy began to walk away when Harmony decided to put in her piece.

"I'm going to be there too." She said her eyes back on her book. "To make sure you don't try anything dirty."

"Fine, as long as you don't interfere." Malfoy said.

"I won't." Harmony replied.

Malfoy nodded and left. Harmony looked up at the two boys.

"What is a wizard's duel?" said Harry. "And what do you mean, you're my second?"

"Well, a second's there to take over if you die," said Ron casually, getting started at last on his cold pie. Catching the look on Harry and Harmony's faces, he added quickly, "But people only die in proper duels, you know, with real wizards. The most you and Malfoy'll be able to do is send sparks at each other. Neither of you knows enough magic to do any read damage. I bet he expected you to refuse. anyway."

"And what if I wave my wand and nothing happens?"

"Throw it away and punch him in the face." Harmony suggested smiling.

"Excuse me."

All three of them looked up. It was Hermione Granger.

"Can't a person eat in peace in this place?" said Ron.

Hermione ignored him and spoke to Harry.

"I couldn't help overhearing what you and Malfoy were saying—"

"Bet you could," Ron muttered.

"—and you mustn't go wandering around the school at night, think of the points you'll lose Gryffindor if you're caught, and you're bound to be, It's really very selfish of you."

"And it's really none of your business," said Harry.

"Good-bye," said Ron.

Later that night Harmony lay in bed. She was waiting for midnight to go watch Harry duel Malfoy. There was a good chance they'd get caught by Filch or his cat. She was excited though, she'd never caused this much trouble in one day, ever. She also had to be there to make sure Malfoy didn't do anything dirty and end up hurting Harry.

"Half-past eleven," Ron muttered out of the darkness. "we'd better go."

Harmony pulled on a old t-shirt over her tank top and a bathrobe on top of that, she grabbed her wand, and crept across the tower room with the other two, down the spiral staircase, and into the Gryffindor common room. A few embers were still glowing in the fireplace. They had almost reached the portrait hole when a voice spoke from the chair nearest them, "I can't believe you're going to do this, Harry."

A lamp flickered on. It was Hermione Granger, wearing a pink bathrobe and a frown.

"You!" said Ron furiously. "Go back to bed!"

"I almost told your brother," Hermione snapped, "Percy—he's a prefect, he'd put a stop to this."

Harmony had been a goody-goody in her other life, but this was way beyond what she had ever done. How could anyone be so interfering?

"Come on," he said to Ron and Harmony. He pushed open the portrait of the Fat Lady and climbed through the hole.

Hermione wasn't going to give up that easily. She followed Ron through the portrait hole, hissing at them like an angry goose.

"Don't you care about Gryffindor, do you only care about yourselves, I don't want Slytherin to win the House Cup, and you'll lose all the points I got from Professor McGonagall for knowing about Switching Spells."

"If you don't like it Hermione then don't be a part of it." Harmony said.

"Go away." The boys said in unison to back up Harmony's point.

"All right, but I warned you, you just remember what I said when you're on the train home tomorrow, you're so –"

But what they were, they didn't find out. Hermione had turned to the portrait of the Fat Lady to get back inside and found herself facing an empty painting. The Fat Lady had gone on a nighttime visit and Hermione was locked out of Gryffindor Tower. Harmony was resisting the urge to laugh, that is what Miss Hermione Goody-Two-Shoes Granger got for not minding her own business.

"Now what am I going to do?" Hermione asked shrilly.

"That's your problem." said Ron. "We've got to go, we're going to be late."

They hadn't even reached the end of the corridor when Hermione caught up with them.

"I'm coming with you," she said.

"You are not."

"D'you think I'm going to stand out here and wait for Filch to catch me? If he finds all three of us I'll tell him the truth, that I was trying to stop you, and you can back me up."

"You've got some nerve –" said Ron loudly.

It was true. Hermione Granger was the biggest tattletale Harmony had ever met in her life and that was saying something. Harmony was about to say something when she heard a noise.

"Shut up, both of you!" Harmony said sharply. "I heard something."

It was sort of a snuffling sound. Suddenly Harmony got tense, could it be Mrs. Norris? Harmony decided she would check in the only way she could think of.

"Mrs. Norris?" Harmony breathed, looking through the darkness hoping not to see anything.

It wasn't Mrs. Norris. It was Neville. He was curled up on the floor, fast asleep, but jerked suddenly awake as they crept nearer.

"Thank goodness you found me! I've been out here for hours, I couldn't remember the new password to get in to bed."

"Keep your voice down, Neville. The password's 'Pig snout' but it won't help you now, the Fat Lady's gone off somewhere."

"How's your arm?" Harmony asked sympathetically.

"Fine," said Neville, showing them. " Madam Pomfrey mended it in about a minute."

"Good – well, look, Neville, we've got to be somewhere, we'll see you later—"

"Don't leave me!" said Neville, scrambling to his feet, " I don't want to stay here alone, the Bloody Baron's been past twice already."

Ron looked at his watch and then glared furiously at Hermione and Neville.

"If either of you get us caught, I'll never rest until I've learned that Curse of the Bogies Quirrell told us about, and used it on you."

Hermione opened her mouth, perhaps to tell Ron exactly how to use the Curse of the Bogies, but Harry hissed at her to be quiet and beckoned them all forward.

Harmony was laughing internally at what she was doing. She had never broken this many rules in her life. This was a change, but a good one. It was as if rule breaking had awaked something inside her that had been dormant until that point. Adrenaline pumped inside her all the way to the trophy room.

Malfoy and Crabbe weren't there yet. Harmony looked at all the trophies around the room and found herself impressed. The way all the gold and silver caught the moonlight was enchanting. She stared around the room as the minutes ticked away.

"He's late, maybe he's chickened out," Ron whispered.

Then a noise in the next room made them jump. Harmony looked around wildly to see what the noise was when they heard someone speak – and it wasn't Malfoy.

"Sniff around, my sweet, they might be lurking in a corner."

It was Filch speaking to Mrs. Norris. Harmony's mind began working furiously looking for a way out, and then she saw a door away from where Filch's voice was coming from. She started toward it and motioned for the other four to follow her. Neville's robes had barely whipped round the corner when they heard Filch enter the trophy room.

"They're in here somewhere," they heard him mutter, "probably hiding."

"This way!" Harmony mouthed to the others and, petrified, they began to creep down a long gallery full of suits of armor. They could hear Filch getting nearer. Neville suddenly let out a frightened squeak and broke into a run – he tripped, grabbed Ron around the waist, and the pair of them toppled right into a suit of armor.

The clanging and crashing was enough to wake the whole castle.

"RUN!" Harry shouted and the five of them sprinted down the gallery, not looking back to see whether Filch was following – they swung around the doorpost and galloped down one corridor then another, Harmony in the lead, without any idea where they were or where they were going – they ripped through a tapestry and found themselves in a hidden passageway, hurtled along it and came out near their Charms classroom, which they knew was miles from the trophy room.

"I think we've lost him," Harry panted, leaning against the cold wall and wiping his forehead, Neville was bent double, wheezing and spluttering.

"I—told—you," Hermione gasped, clutching at the stitch in her chest, "I—told—you."

Harmony began to laugh softly, that had been so fun! They had been so close to being caught, but they had gotten away. She liked the feeling, it was invigorating somehow.

"We've go to get back to Gryffindor Tower," said Ron, "quickly as possible."

"Malfoy tricked you," Hermione said to Harry. " You realize that, don't you? He was never going to meet you – Filch knew someone was going to be in the trophy room, Malfoy must have tipped him off."

Harmony knew Hermione was right, but she was to busy grinning from ear to ear to care.

"Let's go." Harmony said letting her smile disappear.

It wasn't going to be that simple. They hadn't gone more than a dozen paces when a doorknob rattled and something came shooting out of a classroom in front of them.

It was Peeves. He caught sight of them and gave a squeal of delight.

"Shut up, Peeves – please – you'll get us thrown out."

Peeves cackled.

"Wandering around at midnight, Ickle Firsties? Tut, tut, tut. Naughty, naughty, you'll get caughty."

"Not if you don't give us away, Peeves, please."

"Should tell Filch, I should," said Peeves in a saintly voice, but his eyes glittered wickedly. "It's for your own good, you know."

"Get out of the way," snapped Ron, taking a swipe at Peeves—this was a big mistake.

"STUDENTS OUT OF BED!" Peeves bellowed, "STUDENTS OUT OF BED DOWN THE CHARMS CORRIDOR!"

Ducking under Peeves, they ran for their lives, right to the end of the corridor where they slammed into a door – and it was locked.

"This is it!" Ron moaned, as they pushed helplessly at the door, "We're done for! This is the end!"

They could hear footsteps, Filch running as fast as he could toward Peeves's shouts.

"Oh, move over," Hermione snarled. She grabbed Harry's wand, tapped the lock and whispered, "Alohormora!"

The lock clicked and the door swung open – they piled through it, shut it quickly, and pressed their ears against it, listening. Harmony felt stupid that Hermione had remembered the unlocking spell and she hadn't.

"Which way did they go, Peeves?" Filch was saying, "Quick, tell me."

"Say 'please'."

"Don't mess with me, Peeves, now where did they go?"

"Shan't say nothing if you don't say please," said Peeves in his annoying singsong voice.

"All right – please."

"NOTHING! Ha haaa! Told you I wouldn't say nothing gif you didn't say please! Ha ha! Haaaaaa!" And they heard the sound of Peeves whooshing away and Filch cursing in rage.

Harmony was very surprised, Peeves could have given them away, but then again he was a trickster. What he had said actually sounded like something Harmony would have said in his place. Harmony swore she would thank Peeves the next time she got the chance or maybe she wouldn't as it had been him that had gotten them into that mess in the first place.

"He thinks this door is locked," Harry whispered. " I think we'll be okay – get off, Neville! What?"

Harmony turned to see what all the commotion was about and what she saw chilled her to the core.

They weren't in a room, as she had supposed. They were in a corridor. The forbidden corridor on the third floor. And now they knew why it was forbidden.

They were looking straight into the eyes of a monstrous dog, a dog that filled the whole space between ceiling and floor. It had three heads. Three pairs of rolling, mad eyes; three noses, twitching and quivering in their direction; three drooling mouths, saliva hanging in slippery ropes from yellowish fangs.

It was standing quite still, all six eyes staring at them, and Harmony knew that the only reason they weren't already dead was that their sudden appearance had taken it by surprise, but it was quickly getting over that, there was no mistaking what those thunderous growls meant.

Harmony heard Harry feeling for the doorknob and knew what his train of thought was—between Filch and death, she'd take Filch too.

They fell backward – Harry slammed the door shut, and they ran; they almost flew, back down the corridor. Filch must have hurried off to look for them somewhere else, because they didn't see him anywhere, but they hardly cared—all they wanted to do was put as much space as possible between them and that monster. They didn't stop running until they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady on the seventh floor.

"Where on earth have you all been?" she asked, looking at their bathrobes hanging off their shoulders and their flushed, sweaty faces.

"Never mind that – pig snout, pig snout," Harmony panted, and the portrait swung forward. They scrambled into the common room and collapsed, trembling, into armchairs.

Harmony sat and concentrated on her breathing, trying to get her heart rate back to normal. She was thinking about the three-headed dog. Cerberus, was the three-headed dog Hades the Greek god was rumored to have. What a coincidence if this dog was named Cerberus also.

"What do they think they're doing, keeping a thing like that lock up in a school?" said Ron finally. "If any dog needs exercise, that one does."

Hermione had gotten both her breath and her bad temper back again.

"You don't use your eyes, any of you, do you?" she snapped. "Didn't you see what it was standing on?"

"The floor?" Harry suggested.

"I don't think anyone but you were looking at its feet, Hermione. I think the rest of us were too busy with its heads." Harmony said being a little snobbish.

"No, not the floor. It was standing on a trapdoor. It's obviously guarding something."

Hermione stood up, glaring at them.

"I hope you're pleased with yourselves. We could all have been killed—or worse, expelled. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to bed."

Ron stared after her, his mouth open.

"No, we don't mind," he said. "You'd think we dragged her along, wouldn't you?"

"Agreed. 'I hope you're pleased with yourselves. We could have been killed or worse, expelled. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to bed.'" Harmony mocked. " Last time I checked if you died you were automatically expelled."

They all headed to bed then. Harmony pulled off the robe and t-shirt that she had on over her tank top. She climbed into bed putting her hands under her head and thinking. That dog was guarding, something . . . Hagrid had said something about Hogwarts being safer than Gringotts.

Harmony had located where the package from vault seven hundred and thirteen was. Right here, right here at Hogwarts. Now what was in that package Harmony didn't know, but she intended to find out.


	15. The Brooms and Learning Quidditch

Yea, writing chapters like the speed of light! I'm suppose to be at school right now, but I didn't feel so hot this morning, oh well. All better now. So enjoy this chapter and look for the next one!

**The Brooms and Learning Quidditch**

Malfoy couldn't believe his eyes when he saw that Harry, Ron, and Harmony were still at Hogwarts the next day, looking tired but perfectly cheerful. Indeed, by the next morning Harry, Ron, and Harmony thought that meeting the three-headed dog had been an excellent adventure, and they were quite keen to have another one. In the meantime, Harmony and Harry filled Ron in about he package that seemed to have been moved from Gringotts to Hogwarts, and they spent a lot of time wondering what could possibly need such heavy protection.

"It's either really valuable or really dangerous," said Ron.

"Or both," said Harmony.

She had spent a lot of her time thinking about the package, but still had no clue what it was. All any of them knew for sure about the mysterious object was that it was about two inches long, they didn't gave much chance of guessing what it was without further clues.

Neither Neville nor Hermione showed the slightest interest in what lay underneath the dog and the trapdoor. All Neville cared about was never going near the dog again.

Hermione was now refusing to speak to Harry, Ron, or Harmony, but she was such a bossy know-it-all tattletale that they saw this as an added bonus. All they really wanted now was a way of getting back at Malfoy, and to their great delight, just such a thing arrived in the mail about a week later.

As the owls flooded into the Great Hall as usual, everyone's attention was caught at once by two long, thin packages carried by six large screech owls each. Harmony was just as interested as everyone else to see what was in these large parcels, and was amazed when the owls soared down and dropped them right in front Harry and her. They had hardly fluttered out of the way when one more owl dropped a letter between the brother and sister.

Harry ripped open the letter and read it. Then he passed it to Harmony and she read it too it said:

**DO NOT OPEN THE PARCELS AT THE TABLE.**

**It contains your new Nimbus Two Thousands, but I don't**

**want everybody knowing you've got broomsticks or they'll**

**all want one. Oliver Wood will meet you tonight on the**

**Quidditch field at seven o'clock for your first training session.**

The note was signed by Professor McGonagall. Harmony looked at her brother seeing her joy mirrored in his face. She handed the note to Harry who handed it to Ron.

"Nimbus Two Thousands!" Ron moaned enviously. "I've never even touched one."

They left the hall quickly, wanting to unwrap the broomsticks in private before their first class, but halfway across the entrance hall they found the way upstairs barred by Crabbe and Goyle. Malfoy seized Harry's package and felt it.

"That's a broomstick," he said, throwing it back to Harry with a mixture of jealousy and spite on his face. "You'll be in for it this time, Potter, first years aren't allowed them. Actually since you both have them so you'll both be in trouble. "

Ron couldn't resist it.

"They're not any old broomsticks," he said, "They're Nimbus Two Thousands. What did you say you've got at home, Malfoy, a Comet Two Sixty?" Ron grinned at the twins. "Comets look flashy, but they're not in the same league as the Nimbus."

"What would you know about it, Weasley, you couldn't afford half the handle," Malfoy snapped back. "I suppose you and your brothers have to save up twig by twig."

Before Ron could answer, Professor Flitwick appeared at Malfoy's elbow.

"No arguing, I hope?" he squeaked.

"The Potters have been sent broomsticks, Professor," said Malfoy quickly.

"Yes, yes, that's right," said Professor Flitwick, beaming at the twins. "Professor McGonagall told me all about the special circumstances. And what models are they?"

"Nimbus Two Thousands, sir," said Harmony politely, smiling at the look of horror on Malfoy's face. "And it's really thanks to Malfoy here that we got them," she added.

The boys and Harmony headed upstairs, smothering their laughter at Malfoy's obvious rage and confusion.

"Well, it's true," Harmony said between fits of laughter. "If he hadn't stolen Neville's Remembrall we wouldn't be on the team . . . "

"So I suppose you think that's a reward for breaking rules?" came an angry voice from just behind them. Hermione was stomping up the stairs, looking disapprovingly at the packages in Harry and Harmony's hands.

"I thought you weren't speaking to us?" said Harry.

"Yes, don't stop now," said Ron, "it's doing so much good."

Hermione marched away with her nose in the air.

Harmony had the hardest time she'd had all year trying to keep her mind on her lessons that day. It wandered carelessly to the dormitory where their new brooms were lying under their beds, or she kept going to the Quidditch field where Harry and her would be learning to play that night. She ate unusually fast that evening without noticing really what she was eating, and then rushed upstairs with Ron and Harry to unwrap the Nimbus Two Thousands at last.

"Wow," Ron sighed, as the broomsticks rolled onto Harry's bedspread.

They looked absolutely beautiful. Sleek and shiny, with mahogany handles, they had long tails of neat, straight twigs and Nimbus Two Thousand written in gold near the top of the handles.

As seven o'clock drew nearer, Harmony and Harry left the castle and set off in the dusk toward the Quidditch field. They'd never been inside the stadium before. Hundreds of seats were raised in stands around the field so that the spectators were high enough to see what was going on. At either end of the field were three golden poles with hoops on the end. They reminded Harmony of the little plastic sticks that Muggle children blew bubbles through, except that they were fifty feet high.

Too eager to fly again to wait for Wood, the twins mounted their broomsticks and kicked off from the ground. What a feeling – Harmony weaved all around the field. The Nimbus Two Thousand did whatever she wanted it to with the lightest touch and she could fly at amazing speeds because of her lack of weight. Harry and her had just started a game of tag when a voice came up to them.

"Hey, come down!"

Oliver Wood had arrived. He was carrying a large wooden crate under his arm. The twins landed next to him.

"Very nice," said Wood, his eyes glinting. " I see what McGonagall meant . . . you really are naturals. And I really don't have any cause to worry about you, Harmony. You will weave through those Slytherin giants. I'm just going to teach you the rules this evening, then you'll be joining team practice three times a week."

He opened the crate. Inside were four different-sized balls.

"Right," said Wood. " Now, Quidditch is easy enough to understand, even if it's not too easy to play. There are seven players on each side. Three of them are called Chasers. One of those Chasers will be you, Harmony."

"Three Chasers," Harry and Harmony repeated, as Wood took out a bright red ball about the size of a soccer ball.

"This ball's called the Quaffle," said wood. "The Chasers throw the Quaffle to each other and try and get it through one of the hoops to score a goal. Ten points every time the Quaffle goes through one of the hoops. Follow me?"

"The Chasers throw the Quaffle and put it through the hoops to score," Harmony and Harry recited.

"So – that's sort of like basketball on broomsticks with six hoops, isn't it? " Harry asked.

"What's basketball?" said Wood curiously.

"Muggle thing." Harmony answered for Harry.

"Now, there's another player on each side who's called the Keeper – I'm Keeper for Gryffindor. I have to fly around our hoops and stop the other team from scoring. You'll be trying to get past the other teams Keeper, Harmony."

"Three Chasers, one Keeper," said Harmony and Harry. "And they play with the Quaffle. Got it."

"So what are they for?" asked Harmony pointing at the three balls left inside the box.

"I'll show you now," said Wood. "Take this."

He handed Harmony a small club, a bit like a short baseball bat.

"I'm going to show you what the Bludgers do," Wood said. "These two are the Bludgers."

He showed them two identical balls, jet black and slightly smaller than the red Quaffle. Harmony noticed that they seemed to be straining to escape the straps holding them inside the box.

"Stand back," Wood warned the twins. He bent down and freed one of the Bludgers.

At once, the black ball rose high in the air and then pelted straight at Harmony's face. Harmony swung at it with the bat to stop it from breaking her nose, and sent it zigzagging away into the air—it zoomed around their heads and then shot at Wood, who dived on top of it and managed to pin it to the ground.

"See?" Wood panted, forcing the struggling Bludger back into the crate and strapping it down safely. "The Bludgers rocket around, trying to knock players off their brooms. That's why you have two Beaters on each team – the Weasley twins are ours – it's their job to protect their side from the Bludgers and try and knock them toward the other team. So-- think you've got all that?"

"Three Chasers try and score with the Quaffle; the Keeper guards the goalposts; the Beaters keep the Bludgers away from their team," Harry and Harmony reeled off.

"Very good," said Wood.

"Er—have the Bludgers ever killed anyone?" Harry asked.

"Never at Hogwarts. We've had a couple of broken jaws but nothing worse than that. Now, the last member of the team is the Seeker. That's you, Harry. And you don't have to worry about the Quaffle or the Bludgers –"

"—unless they crack my head open."

"Don't worry, the Weasleys are more than a match for the Bludgers – I mean, they're like a pair of human Bludgers themselves."

Wood reached into the crate and took out the fourth and last ball. Compared with the Quaffle and the Bludgers, it was tiny, about the size of a large walnut. It was bright gold and had little fluttering silver wings.

"This," said Wood, " is the Golden Snitch, and it's the most important ball of the lot. It's very hard to catch because it's so fast and difficult to see. It's the Seeker's job to catch it. You've got to weave in and out of the Chasers, Beaters, Bludgers, and Quaffle to get it before the other team's Seeker, because whichever Seeker catches the Snitch wins his team an extra hundred and fifty points, so they nearly always win. That's why Seekers get fouled so much. A game of Quidditch only ends when the Snitch is caught, so it can go on for ages – I think the record is three months, they had to keep bringing on substitutes so the players could get some sleep."

Harmony couldn't imagine playing a Quidditch game for three hours let alone three months. Harry had the toughest job of all, but he could handle it and Harmony knew it.

"Well, that's it – any questions?"

The twins shook their heads. Harmony understood what she had to do all right, it was doing it that was going to be the issue.

"Alright Harmony I want you just to get used to holding the Quaffle and flying with it." Wood told Harmony and she set off with the Quaffle to practice.

Harry practiced with a few golf balls and didn't miss a single one. Harmony was happy for him. They practiced until it was too dark to see.

"That Quidditch Cup'll have out name on it this year," said Wood happily as they trudged back up to the castle.

Harmony grinned back at Wood. She was glad to have impressed him so much. Quidditch was going to be a great thing for her and Harry, it was something they could do together and that they were good at.


	16. The Troll Has Left the Dungeons

Yeah this is the troll chapter. I had to change the troll scene a little for it to work the way I wanted, but enjoy! Oh and BTW you've gotta love the chapter title. Review and keep looking for more!

**The Troll Has Left the Dungeons**

Harmony could hardly believe it when she realized that they'd already been at Hogwarts two months. The castle was really beginning to feel like home. Back at "home" Harmony had felt so out of place. Sure she'd had friends, sure she'd had a family, sure she'd had fun, but she was never herself and now she was and could be for the rest of the year and years to come. Lessons were actually were easy and pretty fun and she enjoyed all that she learned.

On Halloween morning they woke to the delicious smell of baking pumpkin wafting through the corridors. Even better, Professor Flitwick announced in Charms that he thought they were ready to start making objects fly, something they had all been dying to try since they'd seen him make Neville's toad zoom around the classroom. Professor Flitwick put the class into pairs to practice. Harry's partner was Seamus Finnigan, Ron got paired with Hermione Granger, and Harmony got paired with her friend Parvati Patil.

"Now don't forget that nice wrist movement we've been practicing!" squeaked Professor Flitwick, perched on top of his pile of books as usual. "Swish and flick, remember, swish and flick. And saying the magic words properly is very important, too – never forget Wizard Baruffio, who said 's' instead of 'f' and found himself on the floor with a buffalo on his chest."

It was easy for Harmony. She had always been good at copying accents and the sounds of words. So she just swished and flicked and said, "Wingardium Leviosa!"

The feather rose off the desk and hovered over their heads. Harmony looked across the room and saw Hermione Granger had done it too.

"Oh, well done!" cried Professor Flitwick, clapping. " Everyone see here, Miss Granger and Miss Potter have done it!"

Ron was in a bad mood after class because Hermione had done it right after nagging him and he hadn't been able to.

"It's no wonder no one can stand her," he said to Harry and Harmony as they pushed their way into the crowded corridor, "she's a nightmare, honestly."

Someone knocked into Harry as they hurried past him. It was Hermione. Harmony caught a glimpse of her face – and was startled to see that she was in tears.

"I think she heard you."

"So?" said Ron, but he looked a bit uncomfortable. "She must've noticed she's got no friends."

Hermione didn't turn up all afternoon. On their way down to the Great Hall for the Halloween feast, Harry, Ron and Harmony overheard Parvati Patil telling her friend Lavender that Hermione was crying in the girls' bathroom and wanted to be left alone. Ron looked still more awkward at this, but a moment later they had entered the Great Hall, where the Halloween decorations put Hermione out of their minds.

A thousand live bats fluttered from the walls and ceiling while a thousand more swooped over the tables in low black clouds, making the candles in the pumpkins stutter. The feast appeared suddenly on the golden plates, as it had at the start-of-term banquet.

Harmony was just enjoying some of a hot roll when Professor Quirrell came sprinting into the hall, his turban askew and terror on his face. Everyone stared as he reached Professor Dumbledore's chair, slumped against the table, and gasped, "Troll – in the dungeons – thought you ought to know."

He then sank to the floor in a dead faint.

There was an uproar. It took several purple firecrackers exploding from the end of Professor Dumbledore's wand to bring silence.

"Prefects," he rumbled, "lead your Houses back to the dormitories immediately!"

Percy was in his element.

"Follow me! Stick together, first years! No need to fear the troll if you follow my orders! Stay close behind me, now. Make way, first years coming through! Excuse me, I'm a prefect!"

"How could a troll get in?" Harry asked as they climbed the stairs.

"Don't ask me, they're supposed to be really stupid," said Ron. "Maybe Peeves let it in for a Halloween joke."

They passed different groups of people hurrying in different directions. As they jostled their way through a crowd of confused Hufflepuffs, Harmony suddenly grabbed one of Harry and Ron's arms.

"Hermione!"

"What about her?"

"She doesn't know about the troll!"

Ron bit his lip.

"Oh, all right," he snapped. "But Percy'd better not see us."

Ducking down, they joined the Hufflepuffs going the other way, slipped down a deserted corridor, and hurried off toward the girls' bathroom. They had just turned the corner when they heard quick footsteps behind them.

"Percy!" hissed Ron, pulling Harry who pulled Harmony behind a large stone griffin.

Peering around it, however, they saw not Percy but Snape. He crossed the corridor and disappeared from view.

"What's he doing?" Harry whispered. "Why isn't he down in the dungeons with the rest of the teachers?"

"Search me." Ron answered.

Quietly as possible, they crept along the next corridor after Snape's fading footsteps.

"He's heading for the third floor," Harmony said, but Ron held up his hand.

"Can you smell something?" he asked.

The twins sniffed and a foul stench reached their nostrils, a mixture of old socks and the kind of public toilet no one seems to clean.

And then they heard it – a low grunting, and the shuffling footfalls of gigantic feet. Ron pointed – at the end of a passage t the left, something huge was moving toward them. They shrank into the shadows and watched as it emerged into a patch of moonlight.

It was a horrible sight. Twelve feet tall, its skin was a dull, granite gray, its great lumpy body like a boulder with its small bald head with flat, horny feet. The smell coming from it was incredible. It was holding a huge wooden club, which dragged along the floor because its arms were so long.

The troll stopped next to a doorway and peered inside. It waggled its long ears, making up its tiny mind, then slouched slowly into the room.

"The key's in the lock," Harry muttered. "We could lock it in."

"Good idea," said Ron nervously.

They edged toward the open door; mouths dry, praying the troll wasn't about to come out of it. With one great leap, Harry managed to grab the key, slam the door, and lock it.

"Yes!" All three of them cheered.

Flushed with their victory, they started to fun back up the passage, but as they reached the corner they heard something that made their hears stop – a high, petrified scream – and it was coming from the chamber they'd just chained up.

"Oh, no," said Ron.

"It's the girls' bathroom." Harmony gasped.

"Hermione!" They all said together.

It was the last thing they wanted to do, but what choice did they have? Wheeling around, they sprinted back to the door and turned the key, fumbling in their panic. Harry pulled the door open and they ran inside.

Hermione Granger was shrinking against the wall opposite, looking as if she was about to faint. The troll was advancing on her and Harmony leapt into action. She ran at full speed all the way across the room to where Hermione was backing up against some sinks. The troll swung its club and at the last possible second Harmony shoved Hermione to safety.

Meanwhile the boys were trying to find something to do. Ron and Harry had began throwing stuff in their desperation.

"Oy, pea-brain!" yelled Ron and he threw a metal pipe at it. The troll didn't even seem to notice the pipe hitting its shoulder, but it heard the yell and paused again, turning its ugly snout toward Ron instead.

"Run, Hermione!" he yelled, but Hermione didn't move.

The shouting and echoes seemed to be driving the troll berserk. It roared again and started toward Ron, who was nearest and had no way to escape.

Harry then did something that was both very brave and very stupid: He took a great running jump and managed to fasten his arms around the troll's neck from behind. The troll couldn't feel Harry hanging there, but even a troll will notice if you stick a long bit of wood up its nose, and Harry's wand had still been in his hand when he's jumped – it had gone straight up one of the troll's nostrils.

Howling with pain, the troll twisted and flailed its club, with Harry clinging on for dear life; any second, the troll was going to rip him off or catch him a terrible blow with the club.

Hermione had sunk to the floor in fright; Ron pulled out his own wand – not knowing what he was going to do he heard himself cry the first spell that came into his head: "Wingardium Leviosa!"

The club flew suddenly out of the troll's hand, rose high, high up into the air, turned slowly over – and dropped, with a sickening crack, onto its owner's head. The troll swayed on the spot and then fell flat on its face, with a thud that made the whole room tremble.

Harry got to his feet. He was shaking and out of breath, Ron was standing there with his wand still raised, staring at what he had done.

It was Hermione who spoke first.

"Is it – dead?"

I don't think so," said Harry, I think it's just been knocked out."

He bent down and pulled his wand out of the troll's nose. It was covered in what looked like lumpy gray glue.

"Ugh – troll boogers."

He wiped it on the troll's trousers.

A sudden slamming an loud footsteps made the three of them look up. A moment later, Professor McGonagall had come bursting into the room, closely followed by Snape, with Quirrell bringing up the rear. Quirrell took one look at the troll, let out a faint whimper, and sat quickly down on a toilet, clutching his heart.

Snape bent over the troll. Professor McGonagall was looking at Ron and Harry. Harry had never seen her look so angry. Her lips were white. Hopes of winning fifty points for Gryffindor faded quickly from Harry's mind.

"What on earth were you thinking of?" said Professor McGonagall, with cold fury in her voice. Harry looked at Ron, who was still standing with his wand in the air. "You're lucky you weren't killed. Why aren't you in your dormitory?"

Snape gave Harry a swift, piercing look. Harry looked at the floor. He wished Ron would put his wand down.

Then a small voice came out of the shadows.

"Please, Professor McGonagall – they were looking for me."

"Miss Granger!"

Hermione had managed to get to her feet at last.

"I went looking for the troll because I – I though I could deal with it on my own – you know, because I've read all about them."

Ron dropped his wand. Hermione Granger, telling a downright lie to a teacher?

"If they hadn't found me, I'd be dead now. Harmony pushed me out of the way . . . " There Hermione stopped because she had just realized that the heroine of the story was missing.

"Harmony!" Harry exclaimed looking toward the smashed sinks. "Professor my sister! She's-- she must be--"

Professor McGonagall immediately understood and rushed toward the crushed sinks, Snape on her tail. She moved the ruble with a wave of her wand and in the middle of where the sinks would have been was a crumpled form of a girl.

Harmony's eyes were closed and she was laying on her side. One arm was over her face the other laying bent not to far away. Her legs were bent together in a loose kneeling position. Her robe was covered in dust from the rubble and the back was flung out behind her. There were some cuts on her, but it looked as if no damage had been done to her head.

"Severus, help me." McGonagall said motioning to Harmony.

Snape came over and knelt down. Then he gently straightened Harmony into a laying position on her back with her arms and legs straight. Then he began to take her pulse and test her breathing.

Everyone at that point was afraid as to whether Harmony had survived the fall and attack. Ron looked toward the ground as he waited. Hermione began to cry silently staring at Harmony. McGonagall had her hand over her mouth also staring at the body of one of her best pupils. Harry held his breath waiting for what Snape had to say staring at Harmony only thinking of what it would be like to lose her.

"She's still alive." Snape finally announced softly, getting up from the floor.

Everyone became very relaxed. Harmony Dawne Potter was not dead. Harry was the most grateful of all that his only sister's life had been spared.

"Well then, we will deal with the rest of this quickly. " McGonagall said. "Five points from you Miss Granger, Mr. Weasley and Mr. Potter you have earned five points each, I think that Miss Potter has earned ten points since she put her life on the line for another student. Professor Dumbledore will be informed of this. Potter we must take your sister to the Hospital Wing. Severus will you carry her?"

Snape bent over Harmony and lifted her bridal style, her head rested against his chest. McGonagall arranged her arms in her lap then turned back to the other three.

"Go back to your dormitory. And don't worry about Harmony. She'll be fine. You may see her tomorrow. Come Severus."

With that the two professors were gone and Harmony with them.

None of them said much, but "thanks" and "goodnight" that night. They all agreed that they would go see Harmony the next day after lessons. Harry spent most of that night worrying about his sister.


	17. The Visitors and Apologies

Okay this is kind of a little filler chapter to explain that number one Harmony is okay and number two the more detailed version of how they all became friends. Read, **_REVIEW_**, and enjoy!

**The Visitors and Apologies**

Harmony awoke with a start. She had had the dream again. The dream with the song that she had heard before, the soft lullaby was still ringing through her thoughts. She could feel the warm arms around her still. She could still hear the soft low laughter and feel herself lifted into the air. She could also still hear the high cold laughter and see the flash of green light.

"It's just a dream, all a dream." Harmony spoke softly, speaking to no one but herself. She knew what she spoke wasn't true, but she liked to pretend it was.

Nobody had been in the Hospital Wing all day, but her and Madam Pomfrey of course. She knew it must be near the end of the last class of the day because of how the sun was coming through the window.

She thought about the night before. She had shoved Hermione out of the way of the troll and then it all went black. The next thing she knew she was in a warm hospital bed with people talking. She hadn't even bothered to open her eyes to see who was speaking; she had just listened to the soft hum of conversation.

"—fully grown mountain troll." She heard a stern female voice say, she assumed it was Professor McGonagall.

"And she survived!" Came the astounded voice of Madam Pomfrey.

"Yes, very remarkable." Said another voice. It was a male this time and it sounded old and wise, Harmony guessed it was Professor Dumbledore.

"But of course she went looking for trouble, just like her father." Said a snide low voice. She had heard it before, but her head was spinning and she couldn't put a name to it.

"Severus," Dumbledore said. "You mustn't judge her. From what I've seen she's more like Lily than you assume. You must give her a chance. With the troll, she went looking for it to save Hermione Granger, not for her own benefit."

"The Granger girl could be lying! How would any of us know?" Snape spat.

"That's enough, Severus. We must be careful or she will hear us and not be able to get the rest she so well deserves." Dumbledore said gently. Harmony could feel his gaze on her, but it was not piercing it was more of a watchful gaze.

"It's late and we all need rest." Said Professor McGonagall.

"You're right Minerva." Dumbledore said. Harmony heard footsteps moving away, but she could still feel someone near her.

"Goodnight, Harmony." Dumbledore said and then he strode off also.

What had Snape meant by just like her father'? Had Dumbledore really known she'd been awake? How did this all fit together?

Harmony heard the door open to the Hospital Wing and she sat up to see who it was. What she saw made her day. There was Harry, Ron, and Hermione coming toward her, she pushed all thoughts of the night before away to make room for the coming conversation.

"Hey." Harry said when they got there.

"Hey. I'm so glad you came to see me. I thought I would die of boredom. " Harmony replied with a smile.

"Well it looks like you're still in one piece." Ron joked.

"I hope you weren't hurt too bad." Hermione said anxiously.

"No, no. Nothing Madam Pomfrey couldn't fix. I had a broken ankle, a broken arm, a lot of cuts, and that's about it. Pomfrey said I was lucky not to break my skull, let only get off with such minor injuries." Harmony replied smiling at Hermione.

"That's good." Hermione said looking at the floor.

"What's wrong?" Harmony asked looking at Hermione.

"I feel just awful. It's all my fault that you ended up this way! If I hadn't been so slow you might not have had to save me." Hermione said starting to cry.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold it! It's okay! If we hadn't been making fun of you, you wouldn't have ended up in the bathroom! So in the end it's our faults." Harmony said motioning to Harry, Ron, and her.

"No I shouldn't have been so sensitive!" Hermione sobbed back.

"And we shouldn't have been so heartless. Me especially. I used to get teased, so I know how it feels and I inflicted it upon you just as it was inflicted upon me. A lot of the fault lies with me, I should've stood up for you. I shouldn't have encouraged it. I'm sorry. Please forgive me." Harmony said honestly, looking at Hermione for approval.

"You are forgiven, as long as you all forgive me for being so bossy and rude." Hermione said.

"Forgiven." Said Harmony and she looked at the two boys.

"Yeah, I forgive you. As long as you forgive me for the things I said to you." Said Ron.

"Agreed." Said Harry.

"Forgiven." Hermione agreed.

"Great now can we all just be friends? I mean you can't go and fight a twelve-foot-high mountain troll and not be, can you?" Harmony asked.

"Friends." The rest of them agreed.

"Great, now please say you brought me my homework." Harmony asked in desperation looking at Harry.

"Yeah." He said putting a stack of papers in front of his sister.

They sat around helping Harmony with her homework until Ron, Harry, and Hermione had to go to dinner.

"How long are they keeping you here?" Harry asked.

"Pomfrey said I'll be out by tomorrow. Tonight if I'm lucky." Harmony answered.

"Hope to see you tonight then." Harry said.

"Yeah, but if I'm still stuck in this prison, could you grab my homework for me?" Harmony asked.

"Sure." Harry agreed.

"See you later then." Harmony said.

"Yeah, bye Har." Harry said and he kissed her on the forehead.

"See you." Ron said.

"Good-bye Harmony." Hermione said.

Then they all left and Harmony was left to her own thoughts.

Later that night Harmony was given the green light to leave the Hospital Wing and she made her escape back to Gryffindor Tower where she spent the rest of the night talking with Ron, Harry, and her new friend Hermione.


	18. Quidditch and Snake Issues

You've got to love the title! BTW Snake is referring to the Slytherins in case you couldn't figure that out. So yeah this is chapter 18. Chapter 19 will be on its way as soon as possible. Until then read, **_REVIEW_**, and enjoy!

**Quidditch and Snake Issues**

As they entered November, the weather turned very cold. The mountains around the school became icy gray and the lake like chilled steel. Every morning the ground was covered in frost, but Harmony's spirit couldn't have been warmer. She was so happy just being at Hogwarts, learning and having fun.

The Quidditch season had begun. On Saturday, Harmony and Harry would be playing in their first match after weeks of training: Gryffindor versus Slytherin. If Gryffindor won, they would move up into second place in the House Championship.

Hardly anyone had seen Harmony or Harry play because Wood had decided that, as their secret weapon, Harry and Harmony should be kept, well, secret. But the news that Harmony would be playing Chaser and Harry was playing Seeker had leaked out somehow, but Harmony didn't mind any of the comments people made. She knew what would happen, would happen and there was nothing she could do about it. All she could do was do her best and let the rest work itself out.

After making friends with Hermione Granger, Harmony had found a great person in her. Hermione had become a bit more relaxed about breaking the rules since they saved her from the mountain troll, and she was much nicer for it. The day before Harry and Harmony's first Quidditch match the four of them were out in the freezing courtyard during break, and Hermione had conjured them up a bright blue fire that could be carried around in a jam jar. They were standing with their backs to it, getting warm, when Snape crossed the yard. Harmony noticed at once that Snape was limping. Harry, Ron, Harmony, and Hermione moved closer together to block the fire from view; they were sure it wouldn't be allowed. Unfortunately, something about their guilty faces caught Snape's eye. He limped over. He hadn't seen the fire, but he seemed to be looking for a reason to tell them off anyway.

"What's that you've got there, Mr. Potter"

It was a book that Harry had borrowed from Hermione called Quidditch Through the Ages. Harry showed Snape the book.

"Library books are not to be taken outside the school," said Snape. "Give it to me. Five points from Gryffindor."

"He totally just made up that rule. I saw Malfoy out with a library book yesterday!" Harmony muttered angrily as Snape limped away.

"Wonder what's wrong with his leg?" Harry asked.

"Dunno, but I hope it's really hurting him," Ron said bitterly.

They all began to laugh at what Ron had said.

The Gryffindor common room was very noisy that evening. Harry, Ron, Harmony, and Hermione sat together next to a window. Hermione was checking Ron's Charms homework and Harmony was checking Harry's. They wouldn't let the boys copy, so they said that they would read through the homework and help them fix it.

Harmony looked at her brother and could tell there was something wrong.

"What's wrong?" She asked him quietly.

"I want my book back, to keep my mind off tomorrow." Harry said looking bored and a little nervous.

"Well let me finish reading this and then we'll go." Harmony said.

"I don't know if we should." Harry said.

"Who's afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?" Harmony asked smiling while reading through the homework.

"Harmony it's Snape we're talking about here." Harry stated.

"So, why should we be afraid of him?" Harmony asked putting her quill down and handing Harry his homework.

"You're right." He said then he turned to Hermione and Ron. "We're going to ask Snape if I can have the book back."

"Better you than me," they said together, but Harmony had an idea that Snape wouldn't refuse if there were other teachers listening.

They made their way down to the staffroom and knocked. There was no answer. Harry knocked again. Nothing.

"Maybe Snape left the book inside." Harry said pushing the door open and peering inside with Harmony looking over his shoulder. A horrible scene met their eyes.

Snape and Filch were inside, alone. Snape was holding his robes above his knees. One of his legs was bloody and mangled. Filch was handing Snape bandages.

"Blasted thing," Snape was saying. "How are you supposed to keep your eyes on all three heads at once?"

"Har, let's get out of here." Harry whispered.

"Agreed." Said Harmony now a little afraid.

The twins tried to shut the door quietly, but –

"POTTER!"

Snape's face was twisted with fury as he dropped his robes quickly to hide his leg. He had seen Harry, but not Harmony.

"Get out of here." Harry whispered, but Harmony didn't move she just stepped closer.

"I just wondered if I could have my book back." Harry got out a little shakily.

"GET OUT! OUT!"

They left, before Snape could take any more points from Gryffindor. They sprinted back upstairs.

"Did you get it?" Ron asked as Harry and Harmony joined them. " What's the matter?"

In a low whisper, Harry and Harmony told them what they'd seen.

"You know what this means?" Harmony finished in a strong low voice. " He tried to get past that three-headed dog at Halloween! That's where he was going when we saw him – he's after whatever it's guarding! And I'd bet my broomstick and Harry's he let that troll in, to make a diversion!"

Hermione's eyes were wide.

"No – he wouldn't," she said. " I know he's not very nice, but he wouldn't try and steal something Dumbledore was keeping safe."

"Honestly, Hermione, you think all teachers are saints or something," snapped Ron. "I'm with Harry and Harmony. I wouldn't put anything past Snape. But what's he after? What's that dog guarding?"

Harmony went to bed with her head buzzing with the same question. She could hear Neville snoring, but she couldn't sleep. She didn't want to try until she had something to go off of. She thought and thought soon she heard Harry's soft breathing to the side of her. She needed sleep, she had her first Quidditch match in a few hours – but the way Snape had wanted them gone and the expression on his face when they had seen his leg wasn't easy to forget.

The next morning dawned very bright and far too cold for Harmony. The Great Hall was full of the delicious smell of fried sausages and cheerful chatter everyone looking forward to a good Quidditch match.

"You've got to eat some breakfast." Harmony said.

"I don't want anything."

"Just a bit of toast," wheedled Hermione helping Harmony out.

"I'm not hungry."

Harmony didn't see why her brother was so worried. Sure she had a few butterflies, but nothing big. If she messed up, she messed up. She would do what she could and try to show what she was made of, but if they lost that was okay too.

"Harry, you need your strength," said Seamus Finnigan. "Seekers are always the ones who get clobbered by the other team."

"Thanks, Seamus," said Harry. Harmony kicked Seamus from under the table.

In the locker room, Harmony, Harry, and the rest of the team were changing into their scarlet Quidditch robes (Slytherin would be playing in green).

Wood cleared his throat for silence.

"Okay, men," he said.

"And women," Harmony's fellow Chaser, Angelina Johnson, said.

"And women," Wood agreed. "This is it."

"The big one," said Fred Weasley.

"The one we've all been waiting for," said George.

"We know Oliver's speech by heart," Fred told Harry and Harmony, "we were on the team last year."

"Shut up, you two," said Wood. "This is the best team Gryffindor's had in years. We're going to win. I know it. "

He glared at them as if to say, "Or else."

"Right. It's time. Good luck, all of you."

Harry followed Fred and George out of the locker room and Harmony followed him flanked by her fellow Chasers. She was feeling great until the walked onto the field and she saw how many people were there. Even with all the cheering Harmony became nervous.

Madam Hooch was refereeing. She stood in the middle of the field waiting for the two teams, her broom in her hand.

"Now, I want a nice fair game, all of you," she said, once they were all gathered around her. Harmony noticed that she seemed to be speak particularly to the Slytherin Captain, Marcus Flint, a fifth year. Harmony thought Flint looked as if he had some troll blood in him.

"Mount your brooms, please."

Harmony climbed gracefully onto her Nimbus Two thousand. Even with the nerves she would not lose her dignity and she would not look afraid, most of all she would not look shaky.

Madam Hooch gave a loud blast on her silver whistle.

Fifteen brooms rose up, high, high in the air. They were off.

"And the Quaffle is taken immediately by Angelina Johnson of Gryffindor – what an excellent Chaser that girl it, and rather attractive too –"

"JORDAN!"

"Sorry, Professor."

Harmony heard this as she flew right behind Angelina. It was the Weasley twins' friend, Lee Jordan, he did the commentary for the match, closely watched by Professor McGonagall.

"And she's really belting along up there, a neat pass to Harmony Potter, a first year if you can believe it – boy can that girl fly! Back to Johnson and – no, the Slytherins have taken the Quaffle, Slytherin captain Marcus Flint gains the Quaffle and off he goes – Flint flying like an eagle up there – he's going to sc—no, stopped by an excellent move by Gryffindor Keeper Wood and the Gryffindors take the Quaffle – that's Chaser Katie Bell of Gryffindor there, nice dive around Flint, off up the field and—OUCH—that must have hurt, hit in the back of the head by a Bludger – Quaffle taken by the Slytherins – that's Adrian Pucey speeding off toward the goalposts, but he's blocked by a second Bludger – sent his way by Fred or George Weasley, can't tell which – nice play by the Gryffindor Beater, anyway, and Potter in possession of the Quaffle, a clear field ahead and off she goes—she's flying like a speed bullet—dodges a speeding Bludger – the goalposts are ahead – come on, now, Harmony – Keeper Bletchley dives – misses – GRYFFINDORS SCORE!"

Gryffindor cheers filled the cold air, with howls and moans from the Slytherins. Harmony was simply glowing with joy; she had made the first score of the game.

"Gee—Wood really picked a good Chaser there. So fast and so small, some would think that she'd be an easy target. Nope don't think for a second that's true, if you ask me the Slytherins have got their work cut out for them with that little Chaser." Jordan commented as the game got back into play.

"Slytherin in possession," Lee Jordan was saying, "Chaser Pucey ducks two Bludgers, two Weasleys, and Chaser Bell, and speeds toward the – wait a moment —was that the Snitch?"

A murmur ran through the crowd as Adrian Pucey dropped the Quaffle, too busy looking over his shoulder at the flash of gold that had passed his left ear.

Harmony watched Harry dive after the Snitch. The Slytherin Seeker right along side him. Harmony, her fellows, and their counter parts seemed to have forgotten what they were supposed to be doing as they hung in midair to watch.

Harry was faster than Higgs, the Slytherin Seeker. Harmony watched with crossed fingers. She hoped Harry would get the Snitch, not just for Gryffindor, but also for his own pride.

WHAM! Harmony yelled in rage with the Gryffindors below – Marcus Giant-Retard Flint had blocked Harry on purpose, and Harry's broom spun off course, Harry holding on for dear life.

Harmony found herself with an even deeper desire to win. No one did that to her brother and got away with it! She would watch those Slytherins lose with a smirk on her face.

Lee Jordan was finding it difficult not to take sides.

"So—after that obvious and disgusting bit of cheating –"

"Jordan!" growled Professor McGonagall.

"I mean, after that open and revolting foul –"

"Jordan, I'm warning you—"

"All right, all right. Flint nearly kills the Gryffindor Seeker, which could happen to anyone, I'm sure, so a penalty to Gryffindor, taken by Potter, who puts it away, no trouble, and we continue play, Gryffindor still in possession."

Harmony had taken that shot with the utmost loathing for all Slytherins and yes; she had got it through the hoop no problem. She smirked at Marcus Flint as she passed him on her way to catch up with Angelina and Katie.

It was as she dogged a Bludger that it happened. Her broom gave a sudden, frightening lurch. For a split second, she thought she was going to fall. She gripped the broom tightly with both her hands and knees. She'd never felt anything like that.

It happened again. It was as though the broom was trying to buck her off. But Nimbus Two Thousands did not suddenly decide to buck their riders off. Harmony tried to turn back toward the Gryffindor goalposts – she had half a mind to ask Wood to call time-out—and then she realized that his broom was completely out of her control. She couldn't turn it. She couldn't direct it at all. It was zigzagging through the air, and every now and then making violet swishing movements that almost unseated her.

Lee was still commenting.

"Slytherin in possession – Flint with the Quaffle – passes Johnson – passes Bell—hit hard in the face by a Bludger, hope it broke his nose – only joking, Professor – Slytherin score – oh no . . . "

The Slytherins were cheering. No one seemed to have noticed that Harmony's broom was behaving strangely. It was carrying her slowly higher, away from the game, jerking and twitching as it went.

Where was Harry? Had he noticed his sister's broom had gone berserk? Harmony looked everywhere and then she saw him about twenty-five feet in front of her, his broom in the same predicament as hers was.

Their brooms had started to roll over and over, with them only just managing to hold on. Then the whole crowd gasped. Their brooms had give a wild jerk and Harmony and Harry were swung off them. They were now dangling from their brooms, holding on with only one hand.

Their brooms began to vibrate so hard; it was almost impossible for them to hold on much longer. The whole crowd was on its feet, watching, terrified as the Weasleys flew up to try and pull Harry or Harmony safely onto one of their brooms, but it was no good – every time they got near either of them, the broom would jump higher still. They dropped lower and circled beneath the helpless twins, hoping to catch them if either of them fell. Marcus Flint seized the Quaffle and scored five times without anyone noticing.

Then suddenly it stopped; Harmony and Harry were able to clamber back onto their brooms.

Harry was suddenly speeding toward the ground when he clapped his hand to his mouth as though he was about to be sick. Harmony bolted down after him when she saw him hit the field on all fours. She landed beside him as he coughed—and something gold fell into his hand.

"I've got the Snitch!" Harry shouted, waving it above his head, and the game ended in complete confusion. Harmony dropped her broom and immediately hugged her brother tightly, and then kissed him on the cheek. He'd done it; he'd caught the Snitch.

"He didn't catch it, he nearly swallowed it," Flint was still howling twenty minutes later, but it made no difference – Harry hadn't broken any rules and Lee Jordan was still happily shouting the results – Gryffindor had won by one hundred and seventy points to sixty. Harry not Harmony heard any of this though. They were being made a cup of strong tea back in Hagrid's hut, with Ron and Hermione.

"It was Snape," Ron was explaining, "Hermione and I saw him. He was cursing your broomsticks, muttering, he wouldn't take his eyes off you, and you two were so in line he could see you both at the same time."

"Rubbish," said Hagrid. "Why would Snape do somethin' like that?"

Harry, Ron, Harmony, and Hermione looked at one another, wondering what to tell him. Harmony decided the truth.

"I found out something about him," she told Hagrid. "He tried to get past that three-headed dog on Halloween. It bit him. We think he was trying to steal whatever it's guarding."

Hagrid dropped the teapot.

"How do you know about Fluffy?" he said.

"Fluffy?"

"Yeah –he's mine – bought him off a Greek chappie I met in the pub las' year – I lent him to Dumbledore to guard the—"

"Yes?" said Harry eagerly.

"Now, don't ask me anymore," said Hagrid gruffly. "That's top secret, that is."

"But Snape's trying to steal it." Harmony tried.

"Rubbish," said Hagrid again. "Snape's a Hogwarts teacher, he'd do nothin' of the sort."

"So why did he just try and kill Harry and Harmony?" cried Hermione.

The afternoon's events certainly seemed to have changed her mind about Snape and his "saintly" ways.

"I know a jinx when I see one, Hagrid, I've read all about them! You've got to keep eye contact, and Snape wasn't blinking at all, I saw him!"

"I'm tellin' yeh, yer wrong!" said Hagrid hotly. "I don't know why Harry and Harmony's brooms acted like that, but Snape wouldn' try an' kill a student! Now, listen to me, all four of yeh – yer meddlin' in thing that don' concern yeh. It's dangerous. You forget that dog, an' you forget what it's guardin', that's between Professor Dumbledore an' Nicholas Flamel –"

"Aha!" said Harry, "so there's someone called Nicholas Flamel involved, is there?"

Hagrid looked furious with himself.


	19. Christmas Presents

Yeah it's been a little while, but between needing extra sleeping and stupid school it's been rough. Well here is the next chapter read, **_REVIEW_**, and enjoy!

**Christmas Presents**

Christmas was coming. One morning in mid-December, Hogwarts woke to find itself covered in several feet of snow. The lake froze solid and the Weasley twins were punished for bewitching several snowballs so that they followed Quirrell around, bouncing off the back of his turban. The few owls that managed to battle their way through the stormy sky to deliver mail had to be nursed back to health by Hagrid before they could fly off again.

No one could wait for the holidays to start. While the Gryffindor common room and the Great Hall had roaring fires, the drafty corridors had become icy and a bitter wind rattled the windows in the classrooms. Worst of all were Professor Snape's classes down in the dungeons, where their breath rose in a mist before them and they kept as close as possible to their hot cauldrons.

"I do feel so sorry," said Draco Malfoy, one Potions class, "for all those people who have to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas because they're not wanted at home."

He was looking over at Harry and Harmony as he spoke. Crabbe and Goyle chuckled. Harmony, who was done with her potion and happily reading, ignored them. Malfoy had been even more unpleasant than usual since the Quidditch match. Disgusted that the Slytherins had lost, he had tried to get everyone laughing at how a wide-mouthed tree frog would be replacing Harry as Seeker next. Then he'd realized that nobody found this funny, because they were all so impressed at the way Harry and Harmony had managed to stay on their bucking broomsticks. So Malfoy, jealous and angry, had gone back to taunting Harry and Harmony about having no proper family.

It was true that Harry wasn't going back to Privet Drive for Christmas and Harmony really didn't want to leave him and go back to living a double life just for Christmas. Professor McGonagall had come around the week before, making a list of students who would be staying for the holidays, and Harry had signed up at once so Harmony signed up too. Harmony knew this would be a great Christmas for both Harry and her because this would be the first Christmas they spent together. Ron and his brothers were staying, too, because Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were going to Romania to visit Charlie.

When they left the dungeons at the end of Potions, they found a large fir tree blocking the corridor ahead. Two enormous feet sticking out at the bottom and a loud puffing sound told them that Hagrid was behind it.

"Hi, Hagrid, want any help?" Ron asked, sticking his head through the branches.

"Nah, I'm all right, thanks, Ron."

"Would you mind moving out of the way?" came Malfoy's cold drawl from behind them. "Are you trying to earn some extra money, Weasley? Hoping to be gamekeeper yourself when you leave Hogwarts, I suppose – that hut of Hagrid's must seem like a palace compared to what your family's used to."

Ron dived at Malfoy just ad Snape came up the stairs.

"WEASLEY!"

Ron let go of the front of Malfoy's robes.

"He was provoked, Professor Snape," said Hagrid, sticking his huge hairy face out from behind the tree. "Malfoy was insultin' his family."

"Be that as it may, fighting is against Hogwarts rules, Hagrid," said Snape silkily. "Five points from Gryffindor, Weasley, and be grateful it isn't more. Move along, all of you."

Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle pushed roughly past the tree, scattering needles everywhere and smirking.

"I'll get him," said Ron, grinding his teeth at Malfoy's back. "one of these day's, I'll get him –"

"Can I join you?" Harry asked glaring at Malfoy.

" I hate them both," said Harmony watching Malfoy's sleek blonde head walk away, "Malfoy and Snape."

"Come on, cheer up, it's nearly Christmas," said Hagrid. "Tell yeh what, come with me an' see the Great Hall, looks a treat."

So the four of them followed Hagrid and his tree off to the Great Hall, where Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick were busy with the Christmas decorations.

"Ah Hagrid, the last tree – put it in the far corner, would you?"

The hall looked spectacular. Festoons of holly and mistletoe hung all around the walls, and no less than twelve towering Christmas trees stood around the room, some sparkling with time icicles, some glittering with hundreds of candles.

"How many days you got left until yer holidays?" Hagrid asked.

"Just one," said Hermione. "And that reminds me – Harry, Ron, Harmony, we've got half an hour before lunch, we should be in the library."

"Oh yeah, you're right," said Ron, tearing his eyes away from Professor Flitwick, who had golden bubbles blossoming out of his wand and was trailing them over the branches of the new tree.

"The library?" said Hagrid, following them out of the hall. "Just before the holidays? Bit keen, aren't yeh?"

"Oh we're not working," Harry told him brightly. "Ever since you mentioned Nicolas Flamel we've been trying to find out who he is."

"You what?" Hagrid looked shocked. "Listen here – I've told yeh – drop it. It's nothin' to you what that dog's guardin'."

"We just want to know who Nicolas Flamel is, that's all," said Hermione.

"Unless you want to tell us and save us the trouble?" Harmony added. "We must've been through hundreds of books already and we can't find him anywhere – just give us a hint – I know I've read his name somewhere."

"I'm sayin' nothin'," said Hagrid flatly.

"Just have to find out for ourselves, then," said Ron, and they left Hagrid looking disgruntled and hurried off to the library.

They had indeed been searching books for Flamel's name ever since Hagrid had let it slip, because how else were they going to find out what Snape was trying to steal? The trouble was, it was very hard to know where to begin, not knowing what Flamel might have done to get himself into a book. They had checked what seemed like millions of books with absolutely no luck.

When they got there Harmony began to just look around wondering where a book with Flamel's name could be. She could ask Madam Pince, but they all had agreed not to so they wouldn't risk Snape finding out what they were up to. Harmony searched pretty aimlessly then she realized that Harry was nowhere to be found. She told Ron and Hermione and they hurried their search, five minutes later they were in the corridor with Harry. Harmony had found out that Harry had gotten himself thrown out, but that was fine. The search had been unsuccessful anyway.

"I wish we had more time to look around. I'm sure I could find something if Madam Pince wasn't breathing down my neck." Harmony said as they went to lunch.

"Yeah I know." Harry agreed.

"You will keep looking while I'm away, won't you?" said Hermione. "And send me an owl if you find anything."

"And you could ask your parents if they know who Flamel is," said Ron. "It'd be safe to ask them."

"Very safe, as they're both dentists," said Hermione.

Once the holidays had started Ron, Harmony, and Harry were having too good a time to think much about Flamel. They had the dormitory to themselves and the common room was far emptier than usual, so they were able to get the good armchairs by the fire. They sat by the hour eating anything they could spear on a toasting fork – bread, English muffins, marshmallows – and plotting ways of getting Malfoy expelled, which were fun to talk about even if they wouldn't work.

Ron also started teaching Harry wizard chess. Which Harmony was already pretty good at since it was exactly like Muggle chess except the figures were alive. Harmony only played occasionally because she read most of her time. She was still reading _Tom Sawyer_. The boys made fun of her for this, but she didn't care she enjoyed the reading time. She would have to get a new book soon because she was almost done. Would her mother send some to her? She knew she'd have to buy some over the summer holidays and bring them with her next year because of how much she liked reading.

On Christmas Eve, Harmony went to bed looking forward to the next day for the food and the fun, wondering if she'd get any presents from home. Would her family send her something? Would her friends give something to her mom to send to her?

All this thought of home made Harmony a little homesick. Christmas was her favorite holiday and it was always fun at home with her foster mom's side of the family. They ate a lot and she got really good presents. She fell asleep humming Christmas songs softly and dreaming of Christmas days past.

Harmony woke to the violent shaking of her bed. She opened her eyes and saw Harry and Ron taking turns jumping onto it.

"Wake up!" Harry told her.

"It's Christmas!" Ron continued.

"Okay, okay. I'm up. I'm up." Harmony said and Harry and Ron stopped.

Harmony sat up to see a few packages at the end of her bed. As she got up and pulled on her gray sweatshirt Harry opened a present. It was a roughly cut wooden flute from Hagrid. She came and sat by her presents.

"You couldn't have waited another hour possibly two to open your presents?" She asked the boys sleepily.

"No!" They answered together.

"Fine then." She said with a sleepy smile and she pulled the first package off her pile. She looked for a name on it and then she saw something that made her clap her hand to her mouth and almost begin to cry.

The package was small, but it had the most meaningful letters she had seen in a while. It said _To my other half, love your bff_. It was in her best friend's handwriting and suddenly she felt the biggest rush of gratitude. She had a little piece of home right here with her. She tore the wrapping paper off gently, preserving the little bit of writing from home. She opened the box inside and there was a pretty necklace. Just the type of necklace she would wear, it was silver with a little heart at the end of it. So simple and yet it seemed to mean the world to her.

She pulled up the next package and it was from her mom. It was a can of her favorite hot chocolate and a new book. She had gotten another can of hot chocolate last Christmas, but it still meant a bunch so far away from home. It meant that her mother remembered what she had asked for and had given her warmth all over again. The book was the next in series that she'd been reading before she left.

She opened the rest of her presents happily getting a few from home every now and then. Hagrid had gotten her a wooden flute like Harry's. Mrs. Weasley had sent her a hand-knitted sweater in a sapphire blue and a large box of homemade fudge. Hermione had gotten her a large box of Chocolate Frogs. Then Harry and her were down to a parcel each.

Harry opened his first. Something fluid and silvery gray went slithering to the floor where it lay in gleaming folds. Ron gasped.

"I've heard of those," he said in a hushed voice, dropping the box of Every Flavor Beans he's gotten from Hermione. "If that's what I think it is – they're really rare, and really valuable."

"What is it?" Harry asked.

Harmony picked the shining, silvery cloth off the floor. It was strange to the touch, like water woven into material.

"It's an Invisibility Cloak," said Ron, a look of awe on his face. "I'm sure it is – try it on."

Harmony handed it to Harry. Harry threw the Cloak around his shoulders and Ron let out a yell and Harmony let out a small squeal.

"It is! Look down!"

Harry's whole body was gone and just his head was left. He pulled the Cloak over his head and his reflection vanished completely.

"There's a note!" said Ron suddenly. "A note fell out of it!"

Harmony took the letter. Written in narrow, loopy writing were the following words:

**Your father left this in my possession before**

**he died. It is time it was returned to you and**

**your sister. Use it well.**

**A Very Merry Christmas to you**

There was no signature. Harmony passed the note to Harry. Ron was admiring the Cloak.

"I'd give anything for one of these," he said.

Harmony didn't hear the rest of what Ron said because she was opening the last present that she had. It was rectangular and it was wrapped in plain brown paper with no note on the front. She pulled the paper off and there was a white box with Harmony painted in gold curly letters in the middle and one silver and pale blue flower painted in the top right hand corner the whole thing sparkled with glitter. There was a piece of paper sticking out of the box. Harmony pulled it out gently. It said:

**Harmony,**

**This present is only for you. It was made for you**

**when you were a baby. It was recovered from**

**your house the night your parents died. It has**

**the voices of those you loved and knew when you**

**were that age singing your favorite songs from**

**that time.**

**Enjoy your memories and Merry Christmas**

Again there was no signature. Harmony was about to open the music box when the dormitory door was flung open and Fred and George Weasley bounded in. Harmony moved her music box under her presents and Harry hid the Cloak out of sight. They didn't feel like sharing their presents with anyone else yet.

"Merry Christmas!"

"Hey look, --- Harmony and Harry have Weasley sweaters, too!"

Fred and George were wearing royal blue sweaters, one with a large yellow F on it, the other a G.

"Theirs is better than ours, though," said Fred, holding up Harry's sweater. "She obviously makes more of an effort if you're not in the family."

"Why aren't you wearing yours, Ron?" George demanded. "Come on, get it on, they're lovely and warm."

"I hate maroon," Ron moaned halfheartedly as he pulled it over his head.

"You haven't got a letter on yours," George observed. "I suppose she thinks you don't forget your name. But we're not stupid-- we know we're called Gred and Forge."

"What's all this noise?"

Percy Weasley stuck his head through the door, looking disapproving. He had clearly gotten halfway through unwrapping his present as he, too, carried a lumpy sweater over his arm, which Fred seized.

"P for prefect! Get it on, Percy, come on, we're all wearing ours, even Harry and Harmony got one."

"I—don't—want –" said Percy thickly, as the twins forced the sweater over his head, knocking his classes askew.

"And you're not sitting with the prefects today, either," said George. "Christmas is a time for family."

They frog-marched Percy from the room, his arms pinned to his side by his sweater.


	20. The Music Box

This is another filler chapter. This music box will become important later in the series, namely in the third book. Anyway enjoy this chapter because I enjoyed writing it. And **PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE** review, I'd love to see what you think so I can write more of what you like.

**The Music Box**

The boys had left to go down to the common room to play wizard's chess. Harmony sat on her bed reading. She had just gotten to the last chapter of _Tom Sawyer_ when she saw a scrap of paper on her nightstand. She picked it up and realized that it was the note that had come with her music box. She had forgotten all about it and there was no time like the present to find out what secrets were hidden in it.

She got off her bed and dug through her pile of presents until she uncovered the white box. It was very beautiful with the gold writing and the silver and pale blue flower. She spent about five minutes just running her hands over it and admiring it. She then placed her hand gently on the lid of the box and pulled.

Music suddenly filled the room. It was quiet, but it seemed to fill her soul. The voice brought back memories, suddenly she could see in her mind's eye the red hair surrounding her and the soft voice from her dream matched the one coming out of the music box. It was her mother's voice and she was singing "The Wizard and I" from Wicked. Harmony knew this song well; she had listened to it all the time back in her other life. Harmony began to cry silently. The song finished and Harmony closed the music box silent tears still running down her checks.

It really was her mother's voice on there. The grief from her parents death swept over her as it had never before. Harmony sat and cried over the loss of her parents for hours it seemed, but it wasn't really that long. Harmony decided she wanted to hear the song again so she opened the music box again.

She waited for her mother's voice, but this time it was someone else's voice. It was singing, "I'm Already There" by Lonestar. She had heard this song a million times, but she loved it. There was one problem, she hadn't heard the voice before or at least she didn't think she had. It was sung in a medium tenor voice that with a light vibrato that sounded really good. She wondered who it was. She listened to the song and tried to think of the voices she had heard when she was a baby, but nothing came to her. The song ended and Harmony closed the music box.

Who was that voice? She knew she must have heard it before, but she couldn't place a finger on it. She decided that she would listen to it one more time to try to figure out who it was. She placed her hand back on the box and opened it once again.

It was a different voice again. This one was singing "You'll Be in My Heart" from Tarzan. She had heard this song also, but again she didn't know who it was that was singing it. It was a slightly deeper tenor than the last. The voice reminded her somewhat of a dog's bark, but it was beautiful all the same. Harmony listened to the song through trying to figure out who this voice belonged to, but again could not figure it out. She closed the music box when the song ended wondering how many other voices were on this music box. She opened the box again.

This time it was a higher tenor voice singing "Wonderful" from Wicked. She knew this song well too. It had been one of her favorites back in her other life. She heard her mother's voice join on the duet part of the song and found herself singing it too. Then she listened closely for the laugh near the end that she loved when Joel Grey did it knowing that this laugh probably wouldn't be the same, but to her surprise it sounded almost identical to the one Joel Grey did in the soundtrack. Harmony found herself laughing in joy and astonishment. The song ended and Harmony closed the music box and hurriedly opened it again excited to hear what voice came next, but all she heard was her mother's song again.

She closed the music box with a sigh. Four voices, three of them unnamed. The note had said it was people who had loved her when she was a baby. It also said she knew them, but the voices other than her mother's were unfamiliar to her and yet she felt some kind of closeness to them. A closeness she really couldn't explain other than they must have been special to her.

As she thought about the voices she realized that one of them must be her father, but which one it was, she didn't know. There were three and Harmony couldn't remember her father ever singing, she could only remember his low laughter.

Harmony thought and thought and then she decided that she wouldn't focus on who sang what song, but who was even singing at all. So she had two named voices even though she didn't know which song her father sang. Who were the others? Who else would she have known as well as her parents?

Just as she was pondering heavily about this subject Harry came in.

"Harmony?" He said pulling her out of her thoughts.

"Huh?" She said startled as she looked up at him.

"You've been up here forever." Harry stated sitting next to her. "I got worried. I thought you would finish the book and come down. It usually only takes you 20 minutes to finish a chapter and you've been up here for 40."

"I was planning on coming down, but then I got preoccupied with this." She said sliding the music box across the bed toward him.

"What is it?" Harry asked her.

"It's a music box." Harmony told him. She reached over and opened it "The Wizard and I" began to play.

"Who is that singing? I feel like I know that voice." Harry said.

"That is our mother's voice." Harmony said.

"Really?" Harry asked. Harmony nodded and they listened to the rest of the song together in silence.

"So this was the other package? I wondered if you had opened it." Harry said sliding the music box toward her. She slid it between them.

"That's not all." She said opening the box again. "There's this one,"

"I'm Already There" began to play. They listened to a bit of it then Harmony shut the lid.

"And this one," She said opening it again. "You'll Be in My Heart" began to play and again Harmony cut it short.

"And this one," Harmony said and "Wonderful" began.

"Who are these people?" Harry asked her.

"One of the men is Dad and the woman is Mom. I was hoping you knew the other two." She said taking the music box and shutting it.

"I've got no clue." Harry said. "This is only for you though?"

"Yeah it was made for me, but I can share." Harmony said. "I mean they aren't just my parents, they're yours too."

She stood up with the music box in her hand.

"I'll put it right here." She said opening a drawer to her nightstand and setting the music box carefully in. "And you can get it whenever you want."

"Great, but now it's dinner time and I'm hungry." Harry said.

"Me too." Harmony replied. So they grabbed Ron and went down to dinner.


	21. The Night Visits to a Mirror

Chapter 21 is now here. Okay I believe I have some explaining to do on this chapter. Harmony and Harry can look into the mirror and see the same thing because they want the same thing and they are twins, so yeah that's how that works. There's about four more chapters to go so bear with me. I may add a couple of filler chapters depending on what I think is best so yeah. Read, **_Review_**, but most of all enjoy!

**The Night Visits to a Mirror**

Harmony was reminded strongly of home as she ate Christmas dinner. Everything was fantastic. Harmony loved the party favors; she didn't think she'd be able to hold respect for Muggle ones again. Harmony watched amazed as Harry pulled a wizard cracker with Fred and it didn't just bang, it went off with a blast like a cannon and engulfed them all in a cloud of blue smoke, while from the inside exploded a rear admiral's hat and several live, white mice. Up at the High Table, Dumbledore had swapped his pointed wizard's hat for a flowered bonnet, and was chuckling merrily at a joke Professor Flitwick had just read him.

All in all when Harmony left the table laden down with a stack of things out of the crackers, she was very satisfied with the way things had turned out. This was a wonderful Christmas.

Harry, Harmony and the Weasleys spent a happy afternoon having a furious snowball fight on the grounds. Then, cold, wet, and gasping for breath, they returned to the fire in the Gryffindor common room, where Harry broke in his new chess set that he had gotten out of one of the wizard crackers, by losing spectacularly to Ron. While Harmony sat quietly watching in an armchair reading her new book that she had gotten from her mother.

After a meal of turkey sandwiches, crumpets, trifle, and Christmas cake, everyone felt to full and sleepy to do much before bed except sit and watch Percy chase Fred and George all over Gryffindor Tower because they'd stolen his prefect badge.

Harmony had had a lovely Christmas. Something had been nagging her all day. Not until she was warm in bed was she free to think about them: The music box and the Invisibility Cloak and whoever had sent them.

Harmony leaned down and grabbed the music box out of the drawer in the nightstand. She knew it was from the same person that had sent the Cloak. She'd checked the note earlier that day. Who had sent them?

She traced the letters of her name on the music box. It was hers . . . it had been hers all along. Every since her birth, her name had been on this box. The people she loved and knew so long ago had given it to her, and she would remember that, she would look for the unnamed voices. She would find them if it took her the rest of eternity.

She heard Harry slip out of the bed next to her and she wondered what he was doing.

"What are you doing?" She asked sitting up.

"With the Cloak the whole castle is open to us. No one will have to know where we go or what we do." He answered.

"Alright. You will let me come with you right? I mean after all I would say this is probably more your present than mine." Harmony said.

"It's both of ours. It said so on the note so of course you're coming." Harry answered.

Harmony slipped the music box back in place and they pulled on the Cloak. They crept out of the dormitory, down the stairs, across the common room, and climbed through the portrait hole.

"Who's there?" squawked the Fat Lady. Harmony and Harry said nothing. They just walked quickly down the corridor.

"Where should we go?" Harry asked.

Harmony thought for a minute and then she remembered something important.

"The Restricted Section. We need to find Flamel." Harmony said.

"Okay then Restricted Section it is." Harry answered.

They drew the Cloak tight around them as they walked.

The library was pitch-black and very eerie. Harry lit a lamp so they could see their way along the rows of books. The lamp looked as if it was floating along in midair, and even thought Harmony knew Harry was holding it, the sight gave her the creeps.

The Restricted Section was right at the back of the library. Stepping carefully over the rope that separated those books from the rest of the library, Harmony watched Harry hold the lamp up to read the titles of the books that were close to them.

The titles didn't tell the twins much. Their peeling faded gold letters spelled words in languages Harmony couldn't understand. Some had no title at all. One book had a dark stain on it that looked horribly like blood. The hair on the back of Harmony's neck prickled. Maybe she was imagining it, maybe not, but she thought a faint whispering was coming from the books, as though they knew someone was there who shouldn't be.

"Well what now?" Harmony asked.

"We have to start somewhere, so now we search." Harry answered.

Harry set the lamp down carefully on the floor, he looked along the bottom shelf for an interesting looking book, while Harmony looked on the shelf that was at eye level.

Harmony scanned the spines of the books for anything that might have to do with Flamel. She had just found one that looked as if it could be useful when a piercing, bloodcurdling shriek split the silence. Harmony looked down to see Harry holding a book—and the book was screaming! Harry snapped it shut, but the shriek went on and on, one high, unbroken earsplitting note. Harmony watched in horror as Harry stumbled backward and knocked over the lamp, which went out at once. Panicking, Harmony could hear footsteps coming down the corridor outside, she began grouping in the dark for her brother. Harry found her first and they ran for it. They passed Filch in the doorway; Filch's pale, wild eyes looked straight through them, and they slipped under Filch's outstretched arm and streaked off up the corridor, the book's shrieks still ringing in Harmony's ears.

Harry, who was in front, came to a sudden halt in front of a tall suit of armor.

"Why did you stop?" Harmony asked in an almost inaudible whisper.

"I don't know where we are." Harry answered her.

"Well you're supposed to. You're the one leading." Harmony said her voice rising a little in fear.

"Well we'll just have to---" Harry cut off there for there was another voice that was much louder than either of the twins would have dared spoken.

"You asked me to come directly to you, Professor, if anyone was wandering around at night, and somebody's been in the library – Restricted Section."

Harmony felt hot at once. Wherever they were, Filch must know a shortcut, because his soft, greasy voice was getting nearer, and to the twin's horror, it was Snape who replied, "The Restricted Section? Well, they can't be far, we'll catch them."

Harmony and Harry stood rooted to the spot as Filch and Snape came around the corner ahead. They couldn't see the twins, of course, but it was a narrow corridor and if they came much nearer they'd knock right into the twins – the Cloak didn't stop them from being solid.

Harry backed away and pulled Harmony with him. They were both being as quiet as they could. A door stood ajar to their left. It was their only hope. Harry squeezed through it pulling Harmony with him. The twins sighed with relief as Filch and Snape walked past without noticing anything. That had been close, very close. It was a few seconds before the twins noticed anything about the room they had hidden in.

It looked like an unused classroom. The dark shapes of desks and chairs were piled against the walls, and there was an upturned wastepaper basket – but propped against the wall facing then was something that didn't look as if it belonged there, something that looked as if someone had just put it there to keep it out of the way.

It was a magnificent mirror, as high as the ceiling, with an ornate gold frame, standing on two clawed feet. There was an inscription carved around the top in a language that Harmony had never seen before, ever.

Harmony's panic was fading and now seemed stupid to her. Harry stepped nearer to the mirror and looked into it.

Harmony watched Harry clap his hand to his mouth. He looked stunned at something. He turned and looked around the room as if looking for something. Then Harry looked back at the mirror.

"Harmony, come here." Harry said still looking into the mirror.

"What?" Harmony asked standing to the side of her brother.

"Don't you see them?" Harry asked.

"See who?" Harmony looked at her brother curiously.

"Here," Harry said and pulled Harmony in front of him.

Harmony looked into the mirror. There was a crowd of people standing right beside her and her brother. She looked around the room wildly. There was no one in the room, but her brother and herself. Then she turned back to the mirror and the people were still there. Were they invisible as Harry and her were? Did the mirror have some power to reveal invisible people?

Harmony noticed a woman standing on the left behind Harry and her. She was smiling at them and waving. Harmony reached out a hand to where the woman would be and felt another hand. She turned to look and then she realized that it had been her brother's hand. They both drew back, if the woman was really there they would have touched her, but they only had touched each other. The people only existed in the mirror.

The woman was pretty and looked stunningly like Harmony with the exception of her hair and her eyes. She had dark red hair and her eyes – they matched Harry's. Bright green--- exactly the same shape, but then Harmony noticed that the woman was crying; smiling, but crying at the same time. The tall, thin, black-haired man standing next to her put his arm around her. He looked just like Harry except the eyes were different. The eyes of the man matched Harmony's own eyes exactly. He wore glasses, and his hair was untidy. It stuck up in the back, just as Harry's did.

"Harry, who are they?" Harmony asked.

"I think they're our parents." Harry answered.

"Mum?" Harry tried.

"Dad?" Harmony joined.

They just looked at the twins, smiling. And slowly, Harmony looked into the faces of the other people in the mirror, and saw other pairs of hazel eyes like hers and pairs of green, other noses like hers and others like Harry's, there was even a woman who looked as skinny as Harmony must be and a man that looked as if he had Harry's knees—Harmony and her brother were looking at their family, for the first time in both their lives.

The Potters smiled and waved at Harmony and Harry as they started hungrily back at them, both pairs of hands pressed flat against the glass as though they were hoping to fall right through it and reach the others. Harmony had a new ache inside her, half joy, and half terrible sadness. It was the same kind of pain with which Harmony missed home, but this pain was much worse.

How long Harmony and Harry stood there, they didn't know. The reflections did not fade and they looked and looked until a distant noise brought them back to their senses. They couldn't stay there; they had to find their way back to bed. The twins tore their eyes away from their family, whispered, "We'll come back," and hurried from the room.

"You could have woken me up," said Ron, crossly.

"You can come tonight, we're going back, we want to show you the mirror." Harry told him.

"I'd like to see your mum and dad," Ron said eagerly.

"And I think we both want to see all your family, all the Weasleys, you'll be able to show us your other brothers and everyone." Harmony said.

"You can see them any old time," said Ron. "Just come round by house this summer. Anyway, maybe it only shows dead people. Shame about not finding Flamel, though. Have some bacon or something, why aren't you eating anything?"

The twins couldn't eat. They had seen their parents and would be seeing them again tonight. They had almost forgotten about Flamel. It didn't seem very important anymore. Who cared what the three-headed dog was guarding? What did it matter if Snape stole it, really?

"Are you two all right?" said Ron. "You both look odd."

What Harmony feared most was that they might not be able to find the mirror room again. With Ron covered in the Cloak, too, they had to walk much more slowly the next night. They tried retracing the twin's route from the library, wandering around the dark passageways for nearly an hour.

"I'm freezing," said Ron. "Let's forget it and go back."

"No!" The twins hissed in unison.

"It's here somewhere." Harry said.

They passed the ghost of a tall witch gliding in the opposite direction, but saw no one else. Just as Ron started moaning that his feet were dead with cold, Harmony spotted the suit of armor.

"It's here—just here—yes!"

They pushed the door open, Harry and Harmony dropped the Cloak from around their shoulders and ran to the mirror.

There they were. Their mother and father beamed at the sight of the twins.

"See?" Harry whispered.

"I can't see anything."

"Harry maybe he needs to be standing in front of it like we are." Harmony suggested.

The twins stepped aside, but with Ron in front of the mirror, they couldn't see their family anymore, just Ron in his paisley pajamas.

Ron, though, was staring transfixed at his image.

"Look at me!" he said.

"Can you see all your family standing around you?"

"No—I'm alone—but I'm different—I look older—and I'm Head Boy!"

"What?"

"I am--- I'm wearing the badge like Bill used to—and I'm holding the House Cup and the Quidditch Cup – I'm Quidditch captain too!"

Ron tore his eyes away from this splendid sight to look excitedly at Harry and Harmony.

"Do you think this mirror shows the future?"

"How can it? All of our family are dead—let us have another look—" Harmony said.

"You had it to yourselves all last night, give me a bit more time."

"You're only holding the Quidditch Cup, what's interesting about that? We want to see out parents." Harry said.

"Don't push me—"

A sudden noise outside in the corridor put an end to their discussion. They hadn't realized how loudly they had been talking.

"Quick!"

Ron threw the Cloak back over them as the luminous eyes of Mrs. Norris came round the door. Ron, Harry, and Harmony stood quite still. Did the Cloak work on cats? After what seemed like an age, she turned and left.

"This isn't safe—she might have gone for Filch, I bet she heard us. Come on."

And Ron pulled Harry who pulled Harmony out of the room.

The snow still hadn't melted the next morning.

"Want to play chess, Harry?" Harmony heard Ron ask.

"No." Harry answered.

"Harmony will you play?" Ron asked her.

"Not in the mood and besides I'm reading." Harmony answered.

"You've been on the same page for hours." Ron said. "Why don't we go down and visit Hagrid?"

"No. . . you go. . ." Harry said and Harmony nodded her head.

"I know what you're thinking about, that mirror. Don't go back tonight."

"Why not?" The twins asked together.

"I dunno, I've just got a bad feeling about it --- and anyway, you've had too many close shaves already. Filch, Snape, and Mrs. Norris are wandering around. So what if they can't see you? What if they walk into you? What if you knock something over?"

"You sound like Hermione." Harry said.

"I'm serious, just don't go."

But Harmony and Harry had one thought in their heads, which was to back in front of mirror, and Ron wasn't going to stop them.

That third night they found their way more quickly than before. They were walking so fast they knew they were making more noise than was wise, but they didn't meet anyone.

And there were their mother and father smiling at them again, and one of their grandfathers nodding happily. Harry sank down to sit on the floor in front of the mirror. Harmony sat between his legs and leaned back on him with her head resting against his chest. There was nothing to stop them from staying there all night with their family. Nothing at all.

Except—

"So—back again?"

Harmony felt as though her insides had turned to ice. She sat up and looked behind them. Sitting on one of the desks by the wall was none other than Albus Dumbledore. Harmony and Harry must have walked straight past him, so desperate to get to the mirror they hadn't noticed him.

"We—we didn't see you, sir." Harmony said.

"Strange how nearsighted being invisible can make you," said Dumbledore, and Harmony was relieved to see that he was smiling.

"So," said Dumbledore, slipping off the desk to sit on the floor with Harry and Harmony, "you, like hundreds before you, have discovered the delights of the Mirror of Erised."

"So that's what it's called." Harmony said quietly.

"I expect you've realized by now what it does?"

"It—well---shows us our family—" Harry put in as Harmony contemplated the question.

"And it showed your friend Ron himself as Head Boy."

"How did you know--?" Asked Harmony coming out of her thoughts due to shock.

"I don't need a cloak to become invisible," said Dumbledore gently. "Now, can you think of what the Mirror of Erised shows us all?"

Harry and Harmony shock their heads.

"Let me explain. The happiest man on earth would be able to use the Mirror of Erised like a normal mirror, that is, he would look into it and see himself exactly as he is. Does that help?"

Harmony thought about it. Then she answered slowly, "It shows us what we want . . . whatever we want . . ."

"Yes and no," said Dumbledore quietly. "It shows us nothing more or less than the deepest, most desperate desire of our hearts. You Harry, who have never known your family, see them standing around you. Harmony, you have never felt as if you belonged in your foster family, as if you were out of place, see the same. Ronald Weasley, who has always been overshadowed by his brothers, sees himself standing alone, the best of all of them. However, this mirror will give us neither knowledge or truth, Men have wasted away before it, entranced by what they have seen, or been driven mad, not knowing if what it shows is real or even possible.

"The Mirror will be moved to a new home tomorrow and I ask you not to go looking for it again. If you ever do run across it, you will now be prepared. It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live, remember that. Now, why don't you put that admirable Cloak back on and get off to bed?"

Harry stood up and then helped his sister to her feet.

"Sir—Professor Dumbledore? Can I ask you something?" Harmony said a question forming in her mind.

"Obviously, you've just done so," Dumbledore smiled. "You may ask me one more thing, however."

"What do you see when you look in the mirror?" Harmony asked.

"I? I see myself holding a pair of thick, woolen socks."

The twins stared.

"One can never have enough socks," said Dumbledore. "Another Christmas has come and gone and I didn't get a single pair. People will insist on giving me books."

It was only when they got back in bed that it struck the twins that Dumbledore might not have been quite truthful.

"Harry, what do you think Dumbledore really sees?" Harmony asked knowing Harry was awake.

"I don't know. But you have to admit it was a pretty personal question. He wasn't obligated to answer truthfully." Harry answered.

"Right," Harmony said and rolled over.

She kept imagining what Dumbledore must really see, but nothing that she imagined seemed right. She eventually went to remembering what she had seen in the mirror. She couldn't help but cry a little knowing that she'd never see any of them again. So that night Harmony Dawne Potter fell to sleep with tears rolling down her lightly rosy cheeks and onto her pillow.


	22. More Quidditch and A Conversation

Putting up chapters like lightning again! Here you go chapter 22! Have fun reading and _**PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE**_ **REVIEW**!

**More Quidditch and A Conversation**

Harmony had let the mirror go. Of course she wished to see her family again, but she knew she couldn't. During this time of regret her dreams got worse. At night she could see it now, she could watch her parents leave the mortal world exactly as it had happened. Many times she woke up mid-scream and sweating, but no one ever woke up to comfort her for whatever reason. Harmony wouldn't tell Harry what was happening because he was having about the same problem and she wanted to be there for him and not worry him about her problems.

Hermione came back the day before term started. She was disappointed that Harry and Harmony had been out of bed roaming the school and still had nothing to show on Nicholas Flamel.

They all had almost given up hope of ever finding Flamel in a library book, even though Harry was still sure he'd read the name somewhere. Once term had started, they were back to skimming through books for ten minutes during their breaks. Harmony and Harry had less time than the other two, because Quidditch practice had started again.

Wood was working the team harder than ever. Even the endless rain that had replaced the snow couldn't dampen his spirits. The Weasleys complained that Wood was becoming a fanatic and to Harmony this seemed a little true. Although if they won their next match, against Hufflepuff, they would overtake Slytherin in the House Championship for the first time in seven years. Harry said the training helped with the nightmares, but for Harmony they still were just as bad.

Then, during one particularly wet and muddy practice session, Wood gave the team a bit of bad news. He'd just gotten very angry at the Weasleys, who kept dive-bombing each other and pretending to fall off their brooms.

"Will you stop messing around!" he yelled. "That's exactly the sort of thing that'll lost us the match! Snape's refereeing this time, and he'll be looking for any excuse to knock points off Gryffindor!"

"What?" Harmony asked shocked, quickly landing in front of Wood.

George Weasley had really fallen off his broom at this news and now put in his two bits.

"Snape's refereeing?" he spluttered through a mouthful of mud. "When's he ever refereed a Quidditch match? He's not going to be fair if we might overtake Slytherin."

The rest of the team landed next to George and Harmony to complain, too.

"It's not my fault," said Wood. "We've just got to make sure we play a clean game, so Snape hasn't got an excuse to pick on us."

"He'll try to take points anyway, no matter how clean we play." Harmony mumbled grudgingly.

"Well we've got to try something." Wood responded.

Harmony and Harry had another reason for not wanting Snape near them while they were playing Quidditch . . .

The rest of the team hung back to talk to one another as usual at the end of practice, but Harry and Harmony headed straight back tot eh Gryffindor common room, where they found Ron and Hermione playing chess.

"Don't talk to me for a moment," said Ron when Harry sat down next to him while Harmony sat next to Hermione, "I need to concen—" He caught sight of Harry and Harmony's faces. "What's the matter with you? You look terrible."

Speaking quietly so that no one else would hear, Harry and Harmony told the other two about Snape's sudden, sinister desire to be a Quidditch referee.

"Don't play," said Hermione at once.

"Say you're ill," said Ron.

"Pretend to break your legs," Hermione suggested.

"Really break your legs," said Ron.

"We can't," said Harmony. "There isn't a reserve Seeker or Chaser."

"If we back out, Gryffindor can't play at all." Harry finished.

At that moment Neville toppled into the common room. How he had managed to climb through the portrait hold was anyone's guess because his legs had been stuck together with what they recognized at once as the Leg-Locker Curse. He must have had to bunny hop all the way up to Gryffindor Tower.

Everyone fell over laughing except Hermione and Harmony. Hermione performed the countercurse. Neville's legs sprang apart and he got to his feet, trembling.

"What happened?" Harmony asked him, leading him over to sit with Harry and Ron.

"Malfoy," said Neville shakily. "I met him outside the library. He said he'd been looking for someone to practice that on."

"Go to Professor McGonagall!" Hermione urged Neville. "Report him!"

Neville shook his head.

"I don't want to make trouble," he mumbled.

"What do you mean, "I don't want to make trouble"? Neville, I know how it is to get bullied, but you can't be scared and just lay down at his feet saying, "Here I am." You have to stand up for yourself. Show him you mean business. All he is is a spoiled brat who's used to walking on people and getting his way. He's nothing to be afraid of." Harmony said anger edging her voice.

"There's no need to tell me I'm not brave enough to be in Gryffindor, Malfoy's already done that," Neville choked out.

Harmony watched Harry pull out a Chocolate Frog from his robes. He gave it to Neville, who looked as if he might cry.

"Here you go Neville." Harry said sympathetically.

Harmony began to feel as if she'd been a little too hard on Neville before. She resolved to give him a little good comfort.

"You're worth twelve of Malfoy," Harmony said in a gentler voice hugging Neville. "And I'm sorry if I hurt you by what I said before."

"Harmony's right," Harry said. "The Sorting Hat chose you for Gryffindor, didn't it? And where's Malfoy? In stinking Slytherin."

Neville's lips twitched in a weak smile as he unwrapped the frog.

"Thanks, Harry . . . I think I'll go to bed . . . D'you want the card, you collect them, don't you?"

As Neville walked away, Harry looked at the Famous Wizard card.

"Dumbledore again," he said, "He was the first one I ever –"

He gasped. He stared at the back of the card. Then he looked up at Ron, Harmony, and Hermione.

"I've found him!" he whispered. "I've found Flamel! I told you I'd read the name somewhere before, I read it on the train coming here –listen to this: 'Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat for the Dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood, and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel'!"

Hermione jumped to her feet. She hadn't looked so excited since they'd gotten back the marks for their very first piece of homework.

"Stay there!" she said, and she sprinted up the stairs to the girls' dormitories. The other three barely had time to exchange mystified looks before she was dashing back, an enormous old book in her arms.

"I never thought to look in here!" she whispered excitedly. "I got this out of the library weeks ago for a bit of light reading."

"Light?" Ron asked.

"Hermione I'm a much a school fanatic as you are, but this, this is not light." Harmony said with a bit of a laugh.

She searched through the book frantically muttering to herself. Then she found what she was looking for.

"I knew it! I knew it! Nicolas Flamel is the only known maker of the Sorcerer's Stone!"

" The what?" The other three asked.

"Oh, honestly, don't you three read?"

"Yes," said Harmony. "but I think you're idea of reading and mine are completely different."

"Look—just read that, there."

She pushed the book toward them, and Harry and Ron read while Harmony scanned.

By the end of it Harmony had learned that the stone had the power to turn metal into gold, make the Elixir of Life that if drunk would make the drinker immortal, and the only one who had one was Nicolas Flamel.

"See?" said Hermione, when they all had finished. "The dog must be guarding Flamel's Sorcerer's Stone! I bet he asked Dumbledore to keep it safe for him, because they're friends and he knew someone was after it, that's why he wanted the Stone moved out of Gringotts!"

"A stone that makes gold and stops you from ever dying!" said Harry. "No wonder Snape's after it! Anyone would want it."

"And no wonder we couldn't find Flamel in that _Study of Recent Developments in Wizardry_," said Ron. "He's not exactly recent if he's six hundred and sixty-five, is he?"

The next morning in Defense Against the Dark Arts, while copying down different ways of treating werewolf bites, Harry and Ron were still discussing what they'd do with a Sorcerer's Stone if they had one. It wasn't until Ron said he'd buy his own Quidditch team that Harry and Harmony remembered about Snape and the coming match.

"I'm going to play," Harmony told the others. "I want to prove that I'm not afraid of Snape."

"Me too," Harry continued. "It'll really wipe the smiles off their faces if we win."

"Just as long as we're not wiping you two off the field," said Hermione.

Harmony stayed calm as the match drew closer, but she was a little concerned that they had a biased referee. So were the other members of the team. The idea of overtaking Slytherin in the House Championship was wonderful, no one had done it for seven years, but would they be allowed to, while Snape was referring.

Harmony and Harry didn't know if they imagined it or not, but they seemed to keep running into Snape wherever they went. At times, they even wondered whether Snape was following them, trying to catch them on their own. Potions lessons were turning into a sort of weekly torture, Snape was so horrible to them both. Could Snape possible know they'd found out about the Sorcerer's Stone? Harmony didn't see how he could—yet sometimes she had the horrible feeling that Snape could read minds.

Harry and Harmony knew, when they wished them good luck outside the locker rooms the next afternoon, that Ron and Hermione were wondering whether they'd ever see them alive again. This wasn't what you'd call comforting. Harmony wasn't listening to Wood's pep talk as she pulled on her Quidditch robes and picked up her Nimbus Two Thousand. She was more concerned with what she'd do if Harry got into harms way. She spent the time of Wood's pep talk coming up with strategies to save Harry if need be.

Harmony watched Harry get pulled aside by Wood and watched as his face went a little whiter than normal as he listened to what Wood had to say.

"The whole school's out there!" said Fred Weasley, peering out of the door. "Even—blimey—Dumbledore's come to watch!"

Harmony ran over to where Fred was.

"It is!" Harmony said with delight.

Harry came over to join them.

The twins looked at each other and then hugged in relief. They were safe. There was simply no way that Snape would dare to try and hurt either of them if Dumbledore was watching.

Perhaps that was why Snape was looking so angry as the teams marched onto the field. Then they were up in the air. Not two minutes into the game and Snape had awarded Hufflepuff a penalty because George had hit a Bludger at him. Then another penalty a few minutes later for no reason at all.

Ever chance Harmony got she looked to find her brother. On one of these occasions Harry went into a spectacular dive, he streaked toward the ground like a bullet. He was headed straight for Snape, but missed him by inches as Snape turned just in time to see Harry miss him. Then Harry was holding his arm up in triumph, the Snitch clasped in his hand.

Harmony got to the ground as fast as she could and bolted toward her brother. She hugged him tight and kissed him lightly on the cheek. Harry picked her up and spun her then he set her lightly on her feet as more Gryffindors enveloped them. Harmony grabbed her brother's hand so that she didn't lose him in the crowd then she looked back to see Snape, white face and tight lipped. That served him right to watch Slytherin drop behind on his own watch. Then Harmony felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up into Dumbledore's smiling face.

"Well done," he said quietly to Harry, so that only the twins could hear. "Nice to see you two haven't been brooding about that mirror . . . been keeping busy . . . excellent . . ."

Snape spat bitterly on the ground.

Harmony and Harry left the locker room alone some time later, to take their Nimbus Two Thousands back to the broomshed. Harmony was happy for her brother, he'd done something to be proud of, and no one could say he was just a famous name any more. As for her she'd make her own name one day, but right then she was content being happy for her brother.

They walked over the damp grass, hand in hand. Harmony remembering all that had happened: Gryffindors running to lift Harry onto their shoulders; Ron and Hermione in the distance, jumping up and down, Ron cheering through a heavy nosebleed; and her walking quietly, but happily behind her brother, watching him bask in his well deserved glory.

They had reached the shed. Harry leaned against the wooden door and looked up at Hogwarts. Harmony leaned against the door beside him.

"Gryffindor's in the lead, and it's all because of you." She said softly.

"No Har," Harry said and he turned to look at his sister. "That first game, wow, I mean you were, amazing."

"Harry don't be modest, it was you then too. It's okay I have fun on that field and that's what counts." Harmony answered.

"Har—" Harry began.

"No I'm proud of you, you really did show Snape. Now I want no more argu--" Harmony said.

"What?" Harry asked.

"Speak of the devil." Harmony said.

A hooded figure came swiftly down the front steps of the castle. Clearly not wanting to be seen, it walked as fast as possible toward the forbidden forest. Harmony had recognized the figure's prowling walk. Snape, sneaking into the forest while everyone else was at dinner—what was going on?

Harmony looked at Harry and jumped back on her Nimbus Two Thousand and took off. Harry followed her. Gliding silently over the castle they saw Snape enter the forest at a run. They followed.

The trees were so thick they couldn't see where Snape had gone. They flew in circles, lower and lower, brushing the top branches of trees until they heard voices. They glided toward them and landed noiselessly in a towering beech tree.

They climbed carefully along one of the branches, holding tight to their broomsticks and each other, trying to see through the leaves.

Below, in a shadowy clearing, stood Snape, but he wasn't alone. Quirrell was there too. Harmony couldn't make out the look on his face, but he was stuttering worse than ever. Harmony strained to catch what they were saying.

". . . d-don't know why you wanted t-t-to meet here of all p-places, Severus . . ."

"Oh, I thought we'd keep this private," said Snape, his voice icy. "Students aren't supposed to know about the Sorcerer's Stone, after all."

Harmony leaned forward and so did Harry. Quirrell was mumbling something, Snape interrupted him.

"Have you found out how to get past that beast of Hagrid's yet?"

"B-b-but Severus, I—"

"You don't want me as your enemy, Quirrell," said Snape, taking a step toward him.

"I-I don't' know what you—"

"You know perfectly well what I mean."

An owl hooted loudly, and Harmony nearly fell out of the tree. Her brother had almost done the same, they helped steady each other in time to hear Snape say, "—your little bit of hocus-pocus. I'm waiting."

"B-but I d-d-don't—"

"Very well," Snape cut in. "We'll have another little chat soon, when you've had time to think things over and decided where your loyalties lie."

He threw his cloak over his head and strode out of the clearing. It was almost dark now, but Harry and Harmony could see Quirrell, standing quite still as though he was petrified.

"Where have you been?" Hermione squeaked.

"We won! You won! We won!" shouted Ron, thumping Harry on the back. "And I gave Malfoy a black eye, and Neville tried to take on Crabbe and Goyle single-handed! He's still out cold but Madam Pomfrey says he'll be all right—talk about showing Slytherin! Everyone's waiting for you in the common room, we're having a party. Fred and George stole some cakes and stuff form the kitchens."

"Never mind that now," said Harry breathlessly. "Let's find an empty room, you wait 'til you hear this . . . "

Harry made sure Peeves wasn't inside before shutting the door behind them, then Harry and Harmony told them what they'd seen and heard.

"So we were right, it is the Sorcerer's Stone, and Snape's trying to force Quirrell to help him get it. He asked if he knew how to get past Fluffy—and he said something about Quirrell's 'hocus-pocus'—I reckon there are other things guarding the stone apart from Fluffy, loads of enchantments, probably, and Quirrell would have done some anti-Dark Arts spell that Snape needs to break through—" Harry said bringing an end to their tale.

"So you mean the Stone's only safe as long as Quirrell stands up to Snape?" said Hermione in alarm.

"It'll be gone by next Tuesday," said Ron.


	23. A Dragon? This Can’t Be Good

Alright I have only one thing to say. I know you guys are reading and I _REALLY REALLY_ need **REVIEWS**! Please I will be forever and eternally grateful if you review. I don't care if it's one word, just please do it. **PLEASE**, I'm begging you!

**A Dragon? This Can't Be Good.**

Quirrell, however must have been braver than they'd thought. In the weeks that followed he did seem to be getting paler and thinner, but it didn't look as though he'd cracked yet.

Every time they passed the third-floor corridor, Harry, Ron, Harmony, and Hermione would press their ears to the door to check that Fluffy was still growling inside. Snape was sweeping about in his usual bad temper, which surely meant that the Stone was still safe. Whenever Harmony passed Quirrell these days she gave him an encouraging sort of smile, and Ron had started telling people off for laughing at Quirrell's stutter.

Hermione, however, had more on her mind than the Sorcerer's Stone. She had started drawing up study schedules and color-coding all her notes. Harry, Ron, and Harmony wouldn't have minded, but she kept nagging them to do the same.

"Hermione, the exams are ages away." Harry told her.

"Ten weeks," Hermione snapped. "That's not ages, that's like a second to Nicolas Flamel."

"But we're not six hundred years old," Ron reminded her. "Anyway, what are you studying for, you already know it all."

"What am I studying for? Are you crazy? You realize we need to pass these exams to get into the second year? They're very important, I should have started studying a month ago, I don't know what's gotten into me . . . "

"I know what has," said Harmony leaning over to whisper to Harry and Ron. "Know-it-all-itis."

They all laughed quietly behind Hermione's back.

Unfortunately, the teachers seemed to be thinking along the same lines as Hermione. They piled so much homework on them that the Easter holidays weren't nearly as much fun as the Christmas ones. It was hard to relax with Hermione next to you reciting the twelve uses of dragon's blood or practicing wand movements. Harry and Ron spent most of their free time in the library with her, trying to through all their extra work. Harmony always seemed to be on top of things, even with the extra work she seemed to get it done instantaneously. She just trailed along with everyone else because she had nothing better to do.

"I'll never remember this," Ron burst out one afternoon, throwing down his quill and looking longingly out of the library window. It was the first really fine day they'd had in months. The sky was a clear, forget-me-not blue, and there was a feeling in the air of summer coming.

Harmony who was just reading one of her novels again, didn't look up until she heard Ron say, "Hagrid! What are you doing in the library?"

Hagrid shuffled into view hiding something behind his back. He looked very out of place in his moleskin overcoat.

"Jus' lookin'," he said, in a shifty voice that got their interest at once. "An' what're you lot up ter?" He looked suddenly suspicious. " Yer not still lookin' fer Nicolas Flamel, are yeh?"

"Oh, we found out who he is ages ago," said Ron impressively. "And we know that that dog's guarding, it's a Sorcerer's St—"

"Shhhh!" Hagrid looked around quickly to see if anyone was listening. "Don' go shoutin' about it, what's the matter with yeh?"

"There are a few thing we wanted to ask you, as a matter of fact," said Harmony, " about what's guarding the Stone apart from Fluffy—"

"SHHHH!" said Hagrid again. "Listen—come an' see me later, I'm not promisin' I'll tell yeh anythin', mind, but don' go rabbitin' about it in here, students aren' s'pposed ter know. They'll think I've told yeh—"

"See you later, then," said Harry.

Hagrid shuffled off.

"What was he hiding behind his back?" said Hermione thoughtfully.

"Do you think it had anything to do with the Stone?" Harry asked.

"I'm going to see what section he was in," said Ron, who'd had enough of working. He came back a minute later with a pile of books in his arms and slammed them down on the table.

"Dragons!" he whispered. "Hagrid was looking up stuff about dragons! Look at these . . ."

Ron proceeded to rattle off a few titles of the books that were laying on the table.

"Hagrid's always wanted a dragon, he told us so the first time we ever met him. " said Harry.

"But it's against out laws," said Ron. "Dragon breeding was outlawed by the Warlocks' Convention of 1709, everyone knows that. It's hard to stop Muggles from noticing us if we're keeping dragons in the back garden—anyway, you can't tame dragons it's dangerous. You should see the burns Charlie's got off wild ones in Romania."

"But there aren't wild dragons in Britain?" said Harmony.

"Of course there are," said Ron. "Common Welsh Green and Hebridean Blacks. The Ministry of Magic has a job hushing them up, I can tell you. Our kind have to keep putting spells on Muggles who've spotted them, to make them forget."

"So what on earth's Hagrid up to?" said Hermione.

When they knocked on the door of the gamekeeper's hut an hour later, they were surprised to see that al the curtains were closed. Hagrid called "Who is it?" before he let them in, and then shut the door quickly behind them.

It was stifling hot inside. Even though it was such a warm day, there was a blazing fire in the grate. Hagrid made them tea and offered them stoat sandwiches, which they refused.

"So—yeh wanted to ask me somethin'?"

"Yes," said Harmony. There was no point beating around the bush. "We were wondering if you could tell us what's guarding the Sorcerer's Stone apart from Fluffy."

Hagrid frowned at her.

"O' course I can't," he said. "Number one, I don' know meself. Number two, yeh know too much already, so I wouldn' tell yeh if I could. That Stone's here fer a good reason. It was almost stolen outta Gringotts—I s'ppose yeh've worked that out an' all? Beats me how yeh even know abou' Fluffy."

"Oh, come on, Hagrid, you might not want to tell us, but you do know, you know everything that goes on round here," said Hermione in a warm, flattering voice. Hagrid's beard twitched and they could tell he was smiling. "We only wondered who had done the guarding, really." Hermione went on. "We wondered who Dumbledore had trusted enough to help him, apart from you."

Hagrid's chest swelled at these last words. Harry and Ron beamed at Hermione and Harmony gave her an almost unnoticeable thumbs up.

"Well, I don' s'pose it could hurt ter tell yeh that . . . let's see . . . he borrowed Fluffy from me . . . then some o' the teachers did enchantments . . . Professor Sprout—Professor Flitwick—Professor McGonagall—" he ticked them off on his fingers. "Professor Quirrell—an' Dumbledore himself did somethin', o' course. Hang on, I've forgotten someone. Oh yeah, Professor Snape."

"Snape?"

"Yeah—yer not still on abou' that, are yeh? Look, Snape helped protect the Stone, he's not about ter steal it."

Harmony knew the other three were thinking the same as she was. If Snape had been in on protecting the Stone, it must have been easy to find out how the other teachers had guarded it. He probably knew everything—except, it seemed, Quirrell's spell and how to get past Fluffy.

"You're the only one who knows how to get past Fluffy, aren't you, Hagrid?" Harmony asked anxiously. "And you wouldn't tell anyone, would you? Not even one of the teachers?"

"Not a soul knows except me an' Dumbledore," said Hagrid proudly.

"Well, that's something," Harry muttered to the others. "Hagrid, can we have a window open? I'm boiling."

"Can't, Harry, sorry," said Hagrid. Harmony noticed him glace at the fire. Harmony looked at it, too.

"Hagrid—what's that?"

But she already knew what it was. In the very heart of the fire, underneath the kettle, was a huge, black egg.

"Ah," said Hagrid, fiddling nervously with his beard, "That's—er . . ."

"Where did you get it, Hagrid?" said Ron, crouching over the fire to get a closer look at the egg. "It must've cost you a fortune."

"Won it," said Hagrid. "Las' night. I was down in the village havin' a few drinks an' got into a game o' cards with a stranger. Think he was quite glad ter get rid of it, ter be honest."

"But what are you going to do with it when it's hatched?" said Hermione.

"Well I've bin doin' some readin'," said Hagrid, pulling a large book from under his pillow. "Got this outta the library—_Dragon Breeding for Pleasure and Profit_—it's a bit outta date, o' course, but it's all in here. Keep the egg in the fire, 'cause their mothers breathe on 'em, see, an' when it hatches, feed it on a bucket o' brandy mixed with chicken blood every half hour. An' see here—how ter recognize diff'rent eggs—what I got there's a Norwegian Ridgeback. They're rare, them."

He looked very pleased with himself, but Hermione didn't.

"Hagrid, you live in a wooden house," she said.

But Hagrid wasn't listening. He was humming merrily as he stoked the fire.

So now they had something else to worry about: what might happen to Hagrid if anyone found out he was hiding an illegal dragon in his hut.

"Wonder what it's like to have a peaceful life," Ron sighed, as evening after evening everyone, but Harmony, struggled through all the extra homework they were getting. Hermione had now started making study schedules for Harry and Ron, too. It was driving those two nuts, while Harmony sat back and laughed.

Then, one breakfast time, Hedwig brought Harry another note from Hagrid. He had written only two words: It's hatching.

Ron and Harmony wanted to skip Herbology and go straight down to the hut, Hermione wouldn't hear of it.

"Hermione, how many times in out lives are we going to see a dragon hatching?" Harmony asked.

"We've got lessons, we'll get in trouble, and that's nothing to what Hagrid's going to be in when someone finds out what he's doing—"

"Shut up!" Harry whispered.

Malfoy was only a few feet away and he had stopped dead to listen. How much had he heard? Harmony didn't like the look on Malfoy's face at all.

Ron, Harmony, and Hermione agued all the way to Herbology and in the end, Hermione agreed to run down to Hagrid's with the other three during morning break. When the bell sounded from the castle at the end of their lesson, the four of them dropped their trowels at once and hurried through the grounds to the edge of the forest. Hagrid greeted them, looking flushed and excited.

"It's nearly out, "He ushered them inside.

The egg was lying on the table. There were deep cracks in it. Something was moving inside; a funny clicking noise was coming from it.

They all drew their chairs up to the table and watched with bated breath.

All at once there was scraping noise and the egg split open. The baby dragon flopped onto the table. It wasn't exactly pretty; Harmony thought it looked like a crumpled, black umbrella. Its spiny wings were huge compared to its skinny jet body, it had a long snout with wide nostrils, the stubs of horns and bulging, orange eyes.

It sneezed. A couple of sparks flew out of its snout.

"Isn't he beautiful?" Hagrid murmured. He reached out a hand to stroke the dragon's head. It snapped at his fingers, showing pointed fangs.

"Bless him, look, he knows his mummy!" said Hagrid.

"Hagrid," said Hermione, "how fast do Norwegian Ridgebacks grow, exactly?"

Hagrid was about to answer when the color suddenly drained from his face—he leapt to his feet and ran to the window.

"What's the matter?"

"Someone was lookin' through the gap in the curtains—it's a kid—he's runnin' back up ter the school."

Harmony bolted to the door and looked out. Even at a distance there was no mistaking the white blonde hair.

Malfoy had seen the dragon.

Something about the smile lurking on Malfoy's face during the next week made Harry, Ron, Harmony, and Hermione very nervous. They spent most of their free time in Hagrid's darkened hut, trying to reason with him.

"Just let him go," Harry urged.

"Set him free." Harmony said helping her brother.

"I can't," said Hagrid. "He's too little. He'd die."

They looked at the dragon. It had grown three times in length in just a week. Smoke kept furling out of its nostrils. Hagrid hadn't been doing his gamekeeping duties because the dragon was keeping him so busy. There were empty brandy bottles and chicken feathers all over the floor.

"I've decided to call him Norbert," said Hagrid, looking at the dragon with misty eyes. "He really knows me now, watch. Norbert! Norbert! Where's Mummy?"

"He's lost his marbles," Ron muttered softly so Hagrid couldn't hear.

"Hagrid," said Harmony loudly. "give it two weeks and Norbert's going to be as long as your house. Malfoy could go to Dumbledore at any moment."

Hagrid bit his lip.

"I—I know I can't keep him forever, but I can't jus' dump him, I can't."

Harry suddenly turned to Ron.

"Charlie," he said.

"You're losing it, too," said Ron. "I'm Ron, remember?"

"No," said Harmony catching on. "Charlie—your brother, Charlie. In Romania. Studying dragons. We could send Norbert to him. Charlie can take care of him and then put him back in the wild!"

"Brilliant!" said Ron. "How about it, Hagrid?"

And in the end, Hagrid agreed that they could send an owl to Charlie to ask him.

The following week dragged by. Wednesday night found Harry, Harmony, and Hermione sitting alone in the common room, long after everyone else had gone to bed. The clock on the wall had just chimed midnight when the portrait hole burst open. Ron appeared out of nowhere as he pulled of Harry and Harmony's Invisibility Cloak. He had been down at Hagrid's hut, helping him feed Norbert, who was now eating dead rats by the crate.

"It bit me!" he said, showing them his hand, which was wrapped in a bloody handkerchief. "I'm not going to be able to hold a quill for a week. I tell you, that dragon's the most horrible animal I've ever met, but the way Hagrid goes on about it, you'd thing a fluffy little bunny rabbit. When it bit me he told me off for frightening it. And when I left, he was singing it a lullaby."

There was a tap on the dark window.

"It's Hedwig!" said Harry, hurrying to let her in. "She'll have Charlie's answer!"

The four of them put their heads together and read the note.

**Dear Ron,**

**How are you? Thanks for the letter—I'd be glad to take the **

**Norwegian Ridgeback, but it won't be easy getting him**

**here. I think the best thing will be to send him over with**

**some friends of mine who are coming to visit me next week.**

**Trouble is, they mustn't be seen carrying an illegal dragon.**

**Could you get the Ridgeback up the tallest tower at midnight**

**on Saturday? They can meet you there and take him away **

**while it's still dark.**

** Send me an answer as soon as possible.**

**Love,**

**Charlie**

They looked at one another.

"We've got the Invisibility Cloak," said Harmony. "It shouldn't be too difficult—I think the cloak's big enough to cover three of us and Norbert."

It was a mark of how bad the last week had been that the other three agreed with her. Anything to get rid of Norbert—and Malfoy.

There was a hitch. By the next morning, Ron's bitten hand had swollen to twice its usual size. He didn't know whether it was safe to go to Madam Pomfrey—would she recognize a dragon bite? By the afternoon, though, he had no choice. The cut had turned a nasty shade of green. It looked as if Norbert's fangs were poisonous.

Harry, Harmony, and Hermione rushed up to the hospital wing at the end of the day to find Ron in a terrible state in bed.

"It's not just my hand," he whispered, "although that feels like it's about to fall off. Malfoy told Madam Pomfrey he wanted to borrow one of my books so he could come and have a good laugh at me. He kept threatening to tell her what really bit me—I've told her it was a dog, but I don't think she believes me—I shouldn't have hit him at the Quidditch match, that's why he's doing this."

"No," Harmony said. "you gave him what he deserved. And he's only doing this because he's a spoiled brat who always gets what he wants."

Harry and Hermione tried to calm Ron down more.

"It'll all be over at midnight on Saturday," said Hermione, but this didn't soothe Ron at all. On the contrary, he sat bolt upright and broke into a sweat.

"Midnight on Saturday!" he said in a hoarse voice. "Oh no—oh no—I've just remembered—Charlie's letter was in that book Malfoy took, he's going to know we're getting rid of Norbert."

Harry, Hermione, or Harmony didn't get a chance to answer. Madam Pomfrey came over at that moment and made them leave, saying Ron needed sleep.

"It's too late to change the plan now," Harry told the other two. "We haven't got time to send Charlie another owl, and this could be out only chance to get rid of Norbert. We'll have to risk it. And we have got the Invisibility Cloak, Malfoy doesn't know about that."

They found Fang the boarhound sitting outside with a bandaged tail when they went to tell Hagrid, who opened a window to talk to them.

"I won't let you in," he puffed. "Norbert's at a tricky stage—nothin' I can't handle."

When they told him about Charlie's letter, his eyes filled with tears, although they might have been because Norbert had just bitten him on the leg.

"Aargh! It's all right, he only got my boot—jus' playin'—he's only a baby after all."

The baby banged its tail on the wall, making the windows rattle. Harry, Harmony, and Hermione walked back to the castle feeling Saturday couldn't come quickly enough.

They would have felt sorry for Hagrid when the time came for him to say good-bye to Norbert if they hadn't been so worried about what they had to do. It was a very dark, cloudy night, and they were a bit late arriving at Hagrid's hut because they'd had to wait for Peeves to get out of their way in the entrance hall, where he'd been playing tennis against the wall.

Hagrid had Norbert packed and ready in a large crate.

"He's got lots o' rats an' some brandy fer the journey," said Hagrid in a muffled voice. "An' I've packed his teddy bear in case he gets lonely."

From inside the crate came ripping noises that sounded to Harmony as though the teddy bear was having his head torn off.

"Bye-bye, Norbert!" Hagrid sobbed, as Harry, Hermione, and Harmony covered the crate with the Invisibility Cloak and stepped underneath it themselves. "Mummy will never forget you!"

How they managed to get the crate back up to the castle, they never knew. Midnight ticked nearer as they heaved Norbert up the marble staircase in the entrance hall and along the dark corridors. Up another staircase, then another—even one of Harry's shortcuts didn't make the work much easier.

"Nearly there!" Harry panted as they reached the corridor beneath the tallest tower.

Then a sudden movement ahead of them made them almost drop the crate. Forgetting that they were already invisible, they shrank into the shadows, staring at the dark outlines of two people grappling with each other ten feet away. A lamp flared.

Professor McGonagall, in a tartan bathrobe and a hair net, had Malfoy by the ear.

"Detention!" she shouted. "And twenty points from Slytherin! Wandering around in the middle of the night, how dare you—"

"You don't' understand, Professor, Harry Potter's coming—he's got a dragon!"

"What utter rubbish! How dare you tell such lies! Come on—I shall see Professor Snape about you, Malfoy!"

The steep spiral staircase up to the top of the tower seemed the easiest thing in the world after that. Not until they'd stepped out into the bold night air did they throw off the Cloak, glad to be able to breathe properly again. Hermione did a sort of jig and Harmony joined almost instantly.

"Malfoy's got detention! I could sing!" Hermione said.

"I will sing!" Harmony said.

"Don't," Harry advised them.

Chuckling about Malfoy, they waited, Norbert thrashing about in his crate. About ten minutes later, four broomsticks cam swooping down out of the darkness.

Charlie's friends were a cheery lot. They showed Harry, Hermione, and Harmony the harness they'd rigged up, so they could suspend Norbert between them. They all helped buckle Norbert safely into it and then Harry, Hermione, and Harmony shook hands with the others and thanked them very much.

At last, Norbert was going . . . going . . . gone.

They slipped back down the spiral staircase, their hearts as light as their hands, and now that Norbert was off them. No more dragon—Malfoy in detention—what could spoil their happiness?

The answer to that was waiting at the foot of the stairs. As they stepped into the corridor, Filch's face loomed suddenly out of the darkness.

"Well, well, well," he whispered. "we are in trouble."

They'd left the Invisibility Cloak on top of the tower.


	24. Busted! Now, Into the Forest!

Yeah I know long chapter, but it's one of the last. Two more chapters, I think. Well anyway . . . **REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW**!!!!

**Busted! Into the Forest With Major Issues!**

Things couldn't have been worse.

Filch took them down to Professor McGonagall's study on the first floor, where they sat and waited without saying a word to each other. Hermione was trembling. Harry was thinking. Harmony was walking with her head held high thinking as well. She tried to devise ways to get out of this, anything to get them out, but nothing would work. Why had they left the Cloak in the tower? There was no reason on earth that Professor McGonagall would accept for their being out of bed and creeping around the school in the dead of night, let alone being up the tallest Astronomy Tower, which was out-of-bounds except for classes. And with Norbert and the Cloak on top of it, they might as well be packing their bags already.

Had Harmony thought that things couldn't have been worse? She was wrong. When Professor McGonagall appeared, she was leading Neville.

"Harry!" Neville burst out, the moment he saw the other three. "I was trying to find you to warn you, I heard Malfoy saying he was going to catch you, he said you had a drag—"

Harmony shook her head so hard it may have given her whiplash, but Professor McGonagall had seen. She looked more likely to breathe fire than Norbert as she towered over the four of them.

"I would never had believed it of any of you. Mr. Filch says you were up in the Astronomy Tower. It's one o'clock in the morning. Explain yourselves."

It was the first time Hermione had ever failed to answer a teacher's question. She was staring at her slippers, as still as a statue. Harmony was looking at the floor with her head slightly bent keeping herself calm.

"I think I've got a good idea of what's been going on," said Professor McGonagall. "It doesn't take a genius to work it out. You fed Draco Malfoy some cock-and-bull story about a dragon, trying to get him out of bed and into trouble. I've already caught him. I suppose you think it's funny that Longbottom here heard the story and believed it, too?"

Harmony caught Neville's eye and tried to tell him without words that this wasn't true, because Neville was looking stunned and hurt. Poor, Neville—Harmony knew what it must have cost him to try and find them in the dark, to warn them.

"I'm disgusted," said Professor McGonagall. "Five students out of bed in one night! I've never heard of such a thing before! You, Miss Granger, I thought you had more sense. You, Miss Potter, I thought you had higher expectations of yourself. As for you, Mr. Potter, I thought Gryffindor meant more to you than this. All four of you will receive detentions—yes, you too, Mr. Longbottom, nothing gives you the right to walk around school at night, especially these days, it's very dangerous—and fifty points will be taken from Gryffindor."

"Fifty!" Harry gasped—they would lose the lead, the lead Harry had won in the last Quidditch match.

"Fifty points each," said Professor McGonagall, breathing heavily through her long, pointed nose.

"Professor—please—"

"You—can't"

"Don't tell me what I can and can't do, Mr. Potter. Now get back to bed, all of you. I've never been more ashamed of Gryffindor students."

Two hundred points lost. That put Gryffindor in last place. In one night, they'd ruined any chance Gryffindor had had for the House Cup. Harmony felt as thought the bottom had dropped out of her stomach. How could they ever make up for this?

Harmony didn't sleep all night. She could hear Neville sobbing into his pillow for what seemed like hours. Harmony could also hear her brother shifting around, trying to sleep. Harmony couldn't find anything to say. Harmony knew they were all dreading the dawn. What would happen when the rest of Gryffindor found out what they'd done?

At first, Gryffindors passing the giant hourglasses that recorded the House points the next day thought there'd been a mistake. How could they suddenly have two hundred points fewer than yesterday? And then the story started to spread: Harry and Harmony Potter, the famous Potters, their heroes in Quidditch matches, had lost them all those points, them and a couple other stupid first years.

From being one of the most popular and admired people at the school, Harmony and Harry were suddenly the most hated. Even Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs turned on them, because everyone had been longing to see Slytherin lose the House Cup. Everywhere Harmony and Harry went, people pointed and didn't trouble to lower their voices as they insulted them. Slytherins, on the other hand, clapped as they walked past the, whistling and cheering. "Thanks Potter, we owe you one!"

It was at this time that Harmony wondered whether there was anyway to change her House. Maybe, Slytherin was better for her. Everyone expected them to be awful and break rules so would this matter if she was a Slytherin? She could put up with Snape, maybe he'd like her better if she was in Slytherin. This is what she thought about most of her time.

She had become strangely silent most of the time, while this hatred was going on. She only had Harry and Ron on her side.

"They'll all forget this in a few weeks. Fred and George have lost loads of points in all the time they've been here, and people still like them."

"They've never lost two hundred in one go, though, have they?" said Harmony miserably.

"Well—no," Ron admitted.

It was a bit late to repair the damage, but Harmony swore she'd be good from now on. She'd had it with sneaking and spying. Harry and her felt so ashamed of themselves that they went to Wood and offered to resign from the Quidditch team.

"Resign?" Wood thundered. "What good'll that do? How are we going to get any points back if we can't win at Quidditch?"

But even Quidditch had lost its fun. The rest of the team wouldn't speak to the twins during practices, and if they had to speak about them, they called them "the Seeker" or "the Chaser."

Hermione and Neville were suffering, too. They didn't have as bad a time as Harry or Harmony, because they weren't as well-known, but nobody would speak to them, either. Hermione had stopped drawing attention to herself in class, keeping her head down and working in silence.

Harmony was almost glad that the exams weren't far away. Harmony studied, but she was like a sponge so she absorbed everything she read almost instantly. She had to find something else to keep her mind off of her misery, so she was always reading one of her novels. She, Ron, Harry, and Hermione kept to themselves, working late into the night, drilling each other on everything.

Then, about a week before the exams were due to start, Harmony's new resolution not to get in trouble was put to an unexpected test. Walking back from the library with Harry one afternoon, they heard somebody whimpering from a classroom up ahead. As they drew closer, they heard Quirrell's voice.

"No—no—not again, please—"

It sounded as though someone was threatening him. They moved closer.

"All right—all right—" they heard Quirrell sob.

Next second, Quirrell came hurrying out of the classroom straightening his turban. He was pale and looked as though he was about to cry. He strode out of sight; Harmony didn't think Quirrell had even noticed them. They waited until Quirrell's foot steps had disappeared, then peered into the classroom. It was empty, but a door stood ajar at the other end. Harmony was halfway toward it, with Harry following her, before she remembered what she'd promised herself about not getting in trouble.

All the same, she'd gambled twelve Sorcerer's Stones that Snape had just left the room, and from what Harmony and Harry had just heard, Snape would be walking with a new spring in his step—Quirrell seemed to have given in at last.

Harmony and Harry went back to the library, where Hermione was testing Ron on Astronomy. Harry and Harmony told them what they'd heard.

"Snape's done it, then!" said Ron. "If Quirrell's told him how to break his Anti-Dark Force spell—"

"There's still Fluffy, though," said Hermione.

"Maybe Snape's found out how to get past him without asking Hagrid," said Ron, looking up at the thousands of books surrounding them. "I bet there's a book in here somewhere in here telling you how to get past a giant three-headed dog. So what do we do?"

The light of adventure was kindling again in Ron's eyes, but Hermione answered before either of the twins could.

"Go to Dumbledore. That's what we should have done ages ago. If we try anything ourselves we'll be thrown out for sure."

"But we've got no proof!" said Harry.

"Quirrell's too scared to back us up. Snape's only got to say he doesn't know how the troll got in at Halloween and that he was nowhere near the third floor—we hate him, Dumbledore'll think we just made it up to get him sacked. Filch wouldn't help us if his life depended on it, he's too friendly with Snape, and the more students get thrown out, the better, he'll think. And don't forget, we're not supposed to know about the Stone or Fluffy. That'll take a lot of explaining." Harmony finished.

Hermione looked convinced, but Ron didn't.

"If we just do a bit of poking around—"

"No," said Harry flatly. "we've done enough poking around."

Harmony knew the matter was closed and pulled out her latest novel and began to read.

The following morning, notes were delivered to Harry, Hermione, Harmony, and Neville at the breakfast table. They were all the same;

**Your detention will take place at eleven o'clock tonight. **

** Meet Mr. Filch in the entrance hall.**

The note was signed by Professor McGonagall.

Harmony had forgotten they still had detentions to do in the furor over the points they'd lost. She half expected Hermione to complain that this was a whole night of studying lost, but she didn't say a word. Like Harry and Harmony, she felt they deserved what they'd got.

At eleven o'clock that night, they said good-bye to Ron in the common room and went down to the entrance hall with Neville. Filch was already there—and so was Malfoy. Harmony had also forgotten hat Malfoy had gotten a detention, too.

"Follow me," said Filch, lighting a lamp and leading them outside.

"I bet you'll think twice about breaking a school rule again, won't you, eh?" he said, leering at them. "Oh yes . . . hard work and pain are the best teachers if you ask me . . . It's just a pity they let the old punishments die out . . . hang you by your wrists from the ceiling for a few days, I've got the chains still in my office, keep 'em well oiled in case they're ever needed . . . Right, off we go, and don't think of running off, now, it'll be worse for you if you do."

They marched off across the dark grounds. Neville kept sniffling. Harmony wondered what their punishment was going to be. It must be something really horrible, or Filch wouldn't be sounding so delighted.

The moon was bright, but clouds scudding across it kept throwing them into darkness. Ahead, Harmony could see the lighted windows of Hagrid's hut. Then they hear a distant shout.

"Is that you, Filch? Hurry up, I want ter get started."

Harmony heart rose; if they were going to be working with Hagrid it wouldn't be so bad. Her relief must have showed on her face, because Filch said, "I suppose you think you'll be enjoying yourself with that oaf? Well think again, -- it's into the forest you're going and I'm much mistaken if you'll all come out in one piece."

At this Neville let out a little moan, and Malfoy stopped dead in his tracks.

"The forest?" he repeated, and he didn't sound quite as cool as usual. "We can't go in there at night—there's all sorts of things in there—werewolves, I hear."

"That's your problem, isn't it?" said Filch, his voice cracking with glee. "Should've thought of them before you got in trouble, shouldn't you?"

Hagrid came striding toward them out of the dark, Fang at his heel. He was carrying his large crossbow, and a quiver of arrows hung over his shoulder.

"Abou' time," he said. "I bin waitin' fer half an hour already. All right Harry, Hermione, Harmony?"

"I shouldn't be too friendly to them, Hagrid," said Filch coldly, "they're here to be punished, after all."

"That's why yer late, is it?" said Hagrid frowning at Filch. "Bin lecturin' them, eh? 'Snot your place to do that. Yeh've done yer bit, I'll take over from here."

"I'll be back at dawn," said Filch, "for what's left of them," he added nastily, and he turned and started back toward the castle, his lamp bobbing away in the darkness.

Malfoy now turned to Hagrid.

"I'm not going in that forest," he said, and Harmony was absolutely thrilled to hear the note of panic in his voice.

"Yeh are if yeah want ter stay at Hogwarts," said Hagrid fiercely. "Yeh've done wrong an' now yeh've got ter pay fer it."

"But this is servant stuff, it's not for students to do. I thought we'd be copying lines or something, if my father knew I was doing this he'd—"

"—tell yer that's how it is at Hogwarts," Hagrid growled. "Copyin' lines! What good's that ter anyone? Yeh'll do summat useful or yeh'll get out. If yeh think yer father'd rather you were expelled, then get back off ter the castle an' pack. Go on!"

Malfoy didn't move. He looked at Hagrid furiously, but then dropped his gaze.

"Right then," said Hagrid, "now, listen carefully, 'cause it's dangerous what we're gonna do tonight, an' I don' want no one takin' risks. Follow me over me a moment."

He led them to the very edge of the forest. Holding his lamp up high, he pointed down a narrow, winding earth track that disappeared into the thick black trees. A light breeze lifted their hair as they looked into the forest.

"Look there," said Hagrid, "see that stuff shinin' on the ground? Silvery stuff? That's unicorn blood. There a unicorn in there bin hurt badly by summat. This is the second time in a week. I found one dead last Wednesday. We're gonna try an' find the poor thing. We might have to put it out of its misery."

"And what if whatever hurt the unicorn finds us first?" said Malfoy, unable to keep the fear out of his voice.

"There's nothin' that lives in the forest that'll hurt yeh if yer with me or Fang," said Hagrid. "An' keep to the path. Right, now, we're gonna split into two parties an' follow the trail in diff'rent directions. There's blood all over the place, it must've been staggerin' around since last night at least."

"I want Fang," said Malfoy quickly, looking at Fang's long teeth.

"All right, but I warn yeh, he's a coward," said Hagrid. "So me, Harry, Harmony, an' Hermione'll go one way an' Draco, Neville, an' Fang'll go the other. Now, if any of us finds the unicorn, we'll send up green sparks, right? Get yer wands out an' practice now—that's it—an' if anyone gets in trouble, send up red sparks, an' we'll all come an' find yeh—so, be carful—let's go."

The forest was black and silent. A little way into it they reached a fork in the earth path, and Harry, Hermione, Harmony, and Hagrid took the left path while Malfoy, Neville, and Fang took the right.

They walked in silence, their eyes on the ground. Every now and then a ray of moonlight through the branches above lit a spot of silver-blue blood on the fallen leaves.

Harmony saw that Hagrid looked very worried.

"Could a werewolf be killing the unicorns?" Harry asked.

"Not fast enough," said Hagrid. "It's not easy ter catch a unicorn, they're powerful magic creatures. I never knew one ter be hurt before."

They walked past a mossy tree stump. Harmony could hear running water; there must be a stream somewhere close by. There were still spots of unicorn blood here and there along the winding path.

"You all right, Hermione?" Hagrid whispered. "Don' worry, it can't've gone far if it's this badly hurt, an' then we'll be able ter—GET BEHIND THAT TREE!"

Hagrid seized all three of them and hoisted them off the path behind a towering oak. He pulled out an arrow and fitted it into his crossbow, raising it, ready to fire. The four of them listened. Something was slithering over dead leaves nearby; it sounded like a cloak trailing along the ground, Hagrid was squinting up the dark path, but after a few seconds, the sound faded away.

"I knew it," he murmured. "There's summat in here that shouldn' be."

"A werewolf?" Harry suggested.

"That wasn' no werewolf an' it wasn' no unicorn, neither," said Hagrid grimly. "Right, follow me, but careful now."

They walked more slowly, ears straining for the faintest sound. Suddenly, in a clearing ahead, something definitely moved.

"Who's there?" Hagrid called. "Show yerself—I'm armed!"

And into the clearing came-- a centaur! Harmony had read a lot of books with centaurs so she knew exactly what it was. The man half had red hair and beard, but he had a gleaming chestnut body with a long, reddish tail.

"Oh, it's you, Ronan," said Hagrid in relief. "How are yeh?"

He walked forward and shook the centaur's hand.

"Good evening to you, Hagrid," said Ronan. He had a deep, sorrowful voice, "Were you going to shoot me?"

"Can't be too careful, Ronan," said Hagrid patting his crossbow. "There's summat bad loose in this forest. "This is Harry Potter, Harmony Potter, an' Hermione Granger, but the way. Students up at the school. An' this is Ronan, you three. He's a centaur."

"We'd noticed," said Harmony smiling a little.

"Good evening," said Ronan. "Students, are you? And do you learn much, up at the school?"

"Erm—"

"A bit," said Harmony in a humble way.

"A bit. Well, that's something," Ronan sighed. He flung back his head and stared at the sky. "Mars is bright tonight."

"Yeah," said Hagrid, glancing up, too. "Listen, I'm glad we've run inter yeh, Ronan, 'cause there's a unicorn bin hurt—you seen anythin'?"

Ronan didn't answer immediately. He started unblinkingly upward, then sighed again.

"Always the innocent are the first victims," he said. "So it had been for ages past, so it is now."

"Yeah," said Hagrid, "but have yeah seen anythin', Ronan? Anythin' unusual?"

"Mars is bright tonight," Ronan repeated, while Hagrid watched him impatiently. "Unusually bright."

"Yeah, but I was meanin' anyhin' unusual a bit nearer home," said Hagrid. "So yeh haven't noticed anythin' strange?"

Yet again, Ronan took a while to answer. At last, he said, "The forest hides many secrets."

A movement in the trees behind Ronan made Hagrid raise his bow again, but it was only a second centaur, black-haired and bodied and wilder-looking than Ronan.

"Hullo, Bane," said Hagrid. "All right?"

"Good evening, Hagrid, I hope you are well?"

"Well enough. Look, I've just bin askin' Ronan, you seen anythin' odd in here lately? There's a unicorn bin injured—would yeh know anythin' about it?"

And walked over to stand next to Ronan. He looked skyward.

"Mars is bright tonight," he said simply.

"We've heard," said Hagrid grumpily. "Well, if either of you do see anythin', let me know, won't yeh? We'll be off, then,"

Harry, Harmony, and Hermione followed him out of the clearing, staring over their shoulders at Ronan and Bane until the trees blocked their view.

"Never," said Hagrid irritably, "try an' get a straight answer out of a centaur. Ruddy stargazers. Not interested in anythin' closer'n the moon."

"Are there many of them in here?" asked Harmony.

"Oh, a fair few . . . Keep themselves to themselves mostly, but they're good enough about turnin' up if ever I want a word. They're deep, mind, centaurs . . . they know things . . . jus' don' let on much."

"D'you think that was a centaur we heard earlier?" said Harry.

"Did that sound like hooves to you? Nah, if yeah ask me, that was wat's bin killin' the unicorns—never heard anythin' like it before."

They walked on through the dense, dark trees. Harmony kept looking nervously over her shoulder. She had the nasty feeling they were being watched. She was very glad they had Hagrid and his crossbow with them. They had just passed a bend in the path when Hermione grabbed Hagrid's arm.

"Hagrid! Look! Red sparks, the others are in trouble!"

"You three wait here!" Hagrid shouted. "Stay on the path, I'll come back for yeh!"

They heard him crashing away through the undergrowth and stood looking at each other, very scared, until they couldn't hear anything but the rustling of leaves around them.

"You don't think they're hurt, do you?" whispered Hermione.

"I don't' care if Malfoy has, but if something's got Neville . . . it's our fault he's here in the first place." Harry answered.

The minutes dragged by. Their ears seem sharper than usual. Harmony's seemed to be picking up every sigh of the wind, every crackling twig. What was going on? Where were the others?

At last, a great crunching noise announced Hagrid's return, Malfoy, Neville, and Fang were with him. Hagrid was fuming. Malfoy, it seemed had sneaked up behind Neville and grabbed him as a joke. Neville had panicked and sent up the sparks.

"We'll be lucky ter catch anythin' now, with the racket you two were makin'. Right, we're changin' groups—Neville, you stay with me an' Hermione, Harry and Harmony, you go with Fang and this idiot. I'm sorry." Hagrid added in a whisper to the twins. "but he'll have a harder time frightenin' you, an' we've gotta get this done."

So the twins set off into the heart of the forest with Malfoy.

Harmony simply looked at her brother and he knew what she was thinking. They were going to pull one over on Malfoy for scaring Neville.

"Harry," Harmony began. " do you think that there are ghosts in here? You know like the bad kind that sneak up behind you and slit your throat without a sound."

"I don't know, maybe." Harry said.

They heard Malfoy stiffen behind them and they smirked to themselves.

"No, I don't think there would be ghosts. I think there might be vampires, though." Harmony said.

They heard Malfoy's breathing quicken.

"I v'ant to suck your blood!" Harry said with the vampire accent.

Harmony laughed and then decided to finish it off with her best one.

"You know, I think Malfoy's right. I think there might be werewolves in here. It's actually very probable. More probable than the rest I'd say. I mean it's isolated so no one would have to know anything was in here. Of course, there's the fact that there's a buffet of humans just next door and . . ." Harmony broke off, then looked at Harry with mock fright.

"Did you hear that?" She asked.

"Hear what?" Harry answered.

Then Harmony turned away and did the best wolf call Harry had ever heard. Malfoy turned to run in fright, but when he heard laughter he turned back around.

"You did that didn't you?" Malfoy asked Harmony.

"Yep, face it, you're a scaredy cat and my wonderful brother and I are a pair of wonderful actors." Harmony said walking over to Harry.

"Why I—" Malfoy started, but Harmony had seen something in the clearing ahead of them.

"Look—" She said.

Something bright white was gleaming on the ground. They inched closer.

It was the unicorn all right, and it was dead. Harmony had never seen anything so beautiful and sad. Its long, slender legs were out at odd angles where it had fallen and its mane was spread pearly-white on the dark leaves.

Harmony had taken one step toward it when a slithering sound made her freeze where she stood with Harry beside her. A bush on the edge of the clearing quivered . . . Then, out of the shadows, a hooded figure came crawling across the ground like some stalking beast. Harry, Harmony, Malfoy, and Fang stood transfixed. The cloaked figure reached the unicorn, lowered its head over the wound in the animal's side, and began to drink its blood.

"AAAAAAAAAAARGH!"

Malfoy let out a terrible scream and bolted—so did Fang. The hooded figure raised its head and looked right at Harry and Harmony—unicorn blood was dribbling down its front. It got to its feet and came swiftly toward the twins—they couldn't move for fear.

Then a pain like nothing Harmony had ever felt before pierced her left arm; it was as though her scar were on fire. Harmony staggered backward from the pain and her brother did the same. They heard hooves behind them, galloping, and something jumped clear over Harry and Harmony, charging at the figure.

The pain in Harmony's arm was so bad she fell to her knees, her brother doing the same right beside her. Harmony felt her blood pulsing, her vision blurred, and then everything went black.

Harry saw Harmony go down, but then he looked up at his savior. A centaur was standing over him, not Ronan or Bane; this one looked younger; he had white-blonde hair and a palomino body.

"Are you all right?" said the centaur, pulling Harry to his feet.

"Yes—thank you—but I don't' think my sister's doing so great."

The centaur looked down at Harmony. He had astonishingly blue eyes like pale sapphires. He looked back at Harry, his eyes lingering on the scar that stood out, livid, on Harry's forehead.

"You are the Potters," he said. "You had better get back to Hagrid. The forest is not safe at this time—especially for you. Can you ride? It will be quicker this way. I'll carry your sister."

"My name is Firenze," he added, as he lowered himself on to his front lets so that Harry could clamber onto his back, then he picked up Harmony, Her long hair fell out under her head and her face was turned to face away from Harry. She looked so weak, so vulnerable.

There was suddenly a sound of more galloping from the other side of the clearing. Ronan and Bane came bursting through the trees, their flanks heaving and sweaty.

"Firenze!" Bane thundered. "What are you doing? You have a human on your back on one in your arms! Have you no shame? Are you a common mule?"

"Do you realize who they are?" said Firenze. "These are the Potters. The quicker they leave this forest, the better."

"What have you been telling him?" growled Bane. "Remember, Firenze, we are sworn not to set ourselves against the heavens. Have we not read what is to come in the movements of the planets?"

Ronan pawed the ground nervously. "I'm sure Firenze thought he was acting for the best," he said in his gloomy voice.

Bane kicked his back legs in anger.

"For the best! What is that to do with us? Centaurs are concerned with what has been foretold! It is not our business to run around like donkeys after stray humans in our forest!"

Firenze suddenly reared on to his hind legs in anger, so that Harry had to grab his shoulders to stay on. He watched Harmony's body, it stayed safely in Firenze's arms.

"Do you not see that unicorn?" Firenze bellowed at Bane. "Do you not understand why it was killed? Or have the planets not let you in on that secret? I set myself against what is lurking in this forest, Bane, yes, with humans alongside me if I must."

And Firenze whisked around; with Harry clutching on as best he could and Harmony still in his arms. They plunged into the trees, leaving Ronan and Bane behind them.

Harry didn't have a clue what was going on.

"Why's Bane so angry?" he asked. "What was that thing you saved us from, anyway?"

Firenze slowed to a walk, warned Harry to keep his head bowed in case of low-hanging branches, but did not answer Harry's question. They made their way through the trees in silence for a while until Harmony began to come to.

"Ugh." She groaned. Firenze stopped and watched the girl carefully still holding her.

Harry watched from over Firenze's shoulder as his sister woke up.

"Harry?" Harmony asked, her eyes still shut.

"Yeah, Har?" Harry answered.

"My head hurts." She complained in a soft voice, opening her eyes.

"Hello, Harmony Potter." Firenze said.

"Har, this is Firenze, he saved us." Harry told her.

"Oh, well thanks for saving us." Harmony said sincerely.

"Do you think you are well enough to ride on my back?" Firenze asked.

"Yeah, I think so, as long as Harry's in back of me." Harmony said.

"Very well then," Firenze said and he set her down on her feet.

Harry slipped off the Firenze's back to help his sister get on if needed. It was proven that she did need help as the first steps she took she began to stumble. Harry guided her and then helped her onto Firenze, climbing on after her.

"So what was that thing in the clearing?" Harmony asked.

Firenze didn't answer for a while, but suddenly he stopped in a particularly dense patch of trees.

"Do you know what unicorn blood is used for?"

"No," said Harry, sounding startled. "We've only used the horn and tail hair in Potions."

"That is because it is a monstrous thing, to slay a unicorn," said Firenze. "Only one who has nothing to lost, and everything to gain, would commit such a crime. The blood of a unicorn will keep you alive, even if you are an inch from death, but at a terrible price. You have slain something pure and defenseless to save yourself, and you will have but a half-life, a cursed life, from the moment the blood touches your lips."

Harmony stared at the back of Firenze's head, which was dappled silver in the moonlight.

"But who'd be that desperate?" Harmony wondered aloud. "If you're going to be cursed forever, death's better, isn't it?"

"It is," Firenze agreed, "Unless all you need is to stay alive long enough to drink something else—something that will bring you back to full strength and power—something that will mean you can never die. Do you know what is hidden in the school at this very moment?"

"The Sorcerer's Stone!" The twins said together.

"Of course—the Elixir of Life! But I don't understand who—" Harry continued.

"Can you think of nobody who has waited many years to return to power, who had clung to life, awaiting their chance?"

Harmony felt herself stop breathing. She began to feel a chill surround her as though someone had just poured ice water all over her. Over the rustling of the trees, she seemed to hear once more what Hagrid had told her the day in Diagon Alley: "Some say he died. Codswallop, in my opinion. Dunno if he had enough human left in him to die."

"Do you mean," Harmony said in almost a whisper, "that was Vol—"

"Harry! Harmony! Are you all right?"

Hermione was running toward them down the path, Hagrid puffing along behind her.

"We're fine," Harmony answered for them, knowing her brother would say something about her passing out if she didn't. "The unicorn's dead, Hagrid, it's in that clearing back there."

"This is where I leave you," Firenze murmured as Hagrid hurried off to examine the unicorn. "You are safe now."

Harry slid off Firenze's back and then helped Harmony down.

"Good luck." Said Firenze. "The planets have been read wrongly before now, even by centaurs. I hope this is one of those times."

He turned and cantered back into the depths of the forest, leaving Harry and Harmony shivering behind him.

Ron had fallen asleep in the dark common room, waiting for them to return. He shouted something about Quidditch fouls when Harry roughly shook him awake. In a matter of seconds, though, he was wide-eyed as Harry and Harmony began to tell him and Hermione what had happened in the forest.

Harmony couldn't sit down, nor could Harry. She stood quietly by the fire and he paced up and down in front of the fire.

"Snape wants the Stone for Voldemort . . . and Voldemort's waiting in the forest . . . and all this time we thought Snape just wanted to get rich . . ." Harry said.

"Stop saying the name!" said Ron in a terrified whisper, as if he thought Voldemort could hear them.

Harmony began pacing with her brother. Harry continued his thoughts.

"Firenze saved us, but he shouldn't have done so . . . Bane was furious . . . he was talking about interfering with what the planets say is going to happen . . . They must show that Voldemort's coming back . . . Bane thinks Firenze should have let Voldemort kill us . . . I suppose that's written in the stars as well."

"Will you stop saying the name!" Ron hissed.

"So all we've got to wait for now is Snape to steal the Stone," Harmony said, nervously. "then Voldemort will be able to some and finish us off . . ."

"Well, I suppose Bane'll be happy." Harry finished.

Hermione looked very frightened, but she had a word of comfort.

"Harry, Harmony, everyone says Dumbledore's the only one You-Know-Who was ever afraid of. With Dumbledore around, You-Know-Who won't touch you. Anyway, who says the centaurs are right? It sounds like fortune-telling to me, and Professor McGonagall says that's a very imprecise branch of magic."

The sky had turned light before they stopped talking. They went to bed exhausted, their throats sore. But the night's surprises weren't over.

"Harmony," Harry said walking over to her bed.

"Yeah," she said, she was sitting on her bed listening to her music box.

"The Cloaks back." He said.

"What?" Harmony asked looking up at him.

It was, he was holding the Cloak in his hand. He handed her a piece of paper the only word on it were: Just in case.

"Well someone's looking out for us." Harmony said.

"Yeah," Harry replied.


	25. Beginning The Real Adventure

Wow, you're gonna have to bear through the longest chapter in the story so far! It's a way fun chapter though! I know you'll enjoy it. This is the chapter right before the last so this story is almost completed. Which I am both sad and happy about, but don't worry this will not be the last you hear of Harmony! Have fun reading and watch for the last chapter!

**Beginning The Real Adventure**

Harmony spent half her time during these days worrying for her and her brother. Through every exam she had to force herself to believe that everything was okay and that they were safe. Every time she turned a corner she half expected Voldemort to be right there ready to kill her and Harry. On the days that they checked, there could be no doubt that Fluffy was still alive and well behind the locked door.

Harmony believed she had done well on all her written papers. On the practical ones she believed she did as well as she could have. She'd aced Flitwick's, her pineapple had done a very lively tap dance across the desk. She'd gotten extra on McGonagall's, her mouse had turned into a beautiful snuffbox—the box she had made kind of reminded her of her music box. On Snape's though she didn't know how well she'd done. It always made her nervous when people watched her work, but Snape had practically been on top of her and she swore that he stayed there for half the exam. Her Forgetfulness potion had turned out perfect after all that, but knowing Snape he'd find some excuse to give her a worse grade than she deserved.

Although Harmony would never let on the stabbing pains in her left fore arm distracted her a little. It had been going on ever since the trip to the forest. She found she'd had a worse time sleeping than normal the old nightmare had just gotten worse. Now there was a hooded figure standing in the room while she watched from the crib and the figure was dripping blood.

Harmony thought of the Stone often and so did Harry, but Ron and Hermione didn't seem as concerned. Of course Voldemort scared them, but he wasn't visiting them in their dreams, and they were so busy with their studying they didn't have much time to fret about what Snape or anyone else might be up to.

Their very last exam was History of Magic, which Harmony knew she'd done okay on. History was her least favorite subject and she honestly didn't really care about her grade.

After the exam they wandered down to the lake and flopped under a tree. The Weasley twins and Lee Jordan were tickling the tentacles of a giant squid, which was basking in the warm shallows.

They talked of the end of studying and things of that nature. Harmony couldn't help notice that Harry was rubbing his scar. It was hurting her too, but she'd learned that it really didn't help the pain much to rub.

"I wish I knew what this means!" Harry burst out angrily. "My—scar keeps hurting—"

"Mine too." Harmony agreed.

"I mean it's happened before, but never as often as this." Harry finished.

"Mine's never hurt before now." Harmony said.

"Go to Madam Pomfrey," Hermione suggested.

"Neither of us are ill," said Harry. "I think it's a warning . . . it means danger's coming . . ."

Ron couldn't get worked up, it was too hot.

"Relax, Hermione's right, the Stone's safe as long as Dumbledore's around. Anyway, we've never had any proof Snape found out how to get past Fluffy. He nearly had his leg ripped off once, he's not going to try it again in a hurry. And Neville will play Quidditch for England before Hagrid lets Dumbledore down. "

Harmony nodded, but she couldn't shake the feeling that there was something she'd forgotten to do. Harmony knew this feeling didn't have anything to do with school, though. She watched an owl flutter toward the school across the bright blue sky, a note clamped in its mouth. Hagrid had been one of the only ones to send her a letter. Hagrid would never betray Dumbledore. Hagrid would never tell anyone how to get past Fluffy . . . never . . . but—

Harmony suddenly flew onto her feet.

"Where're you going?" said Ron sleepily.

"I've just thought of something," said Harmony. She'd felt her cheeks flush and she knew she must be pale. "We've got to go and see Hagrid, now"

"Why?" panted Harry hurrying to keep up.

"Because, my dear brother, don't you think it's a bit odd," said Harmony scrambling up the grassy slope, "that what Hagrid wants more than anything else is a dragon, and a stranger turns up who just happens to have an egg in his pocket? How many people wander around with dragon eggs if it's against wizarding law? Lucky they found Hagrid, don't you think? Why didn't I see it before?"

"What are you talking about?" said Ron, but Harmony sprinting across the grounds toward the forest, didn't answer.

Hagrid was sitting in an armchair outside his house; his trousers and sleeves were rolled up, and he was shelling peas into a large bowl.

"Hullo," he said, smiling. "Finished yer exams? Got time fer a drink?"

"Yes, please," said Ron, but Harmony cut him off.

"No, we're in a hurry. Hagrid, I've got to ask you something. You know that night you won Norbert? What did the stranger you were playing with look like?"

"Dunno," said Hagrid casually, "he wouldn't take his cloak off."

He saw the four of them look stunned and raised his eyebrows.

"It's not that unusual, yeh get a lot o' funny people in the Hog's Head—that's one o' the pubs down in the village. Mighta bin a dragon dealer, mightn' he? I never saw his face, he kept his hood up."

Harmony sank down next to the bowl of peas.

"What did you talk to him about, Hagrid? Did you mention Hogwarts at all?"

"Mighta come up," said Hagrid, frowning as he tried to remember. "Yeah . . . he asked what I did, an' I told him I was gamekeeper here . . . He asked a bit about the sorta creatures I look after . . . so I told him . . . an' I said what I'd always really wanted was a dragon . . . an' then . . . I can' remember too well, 'cause he kept buyin' me drinks . . . Let's see . . . yeah, then he said he had the dragon egg an' we could play cards fer it if I wanted . . . but he had ter be sure I could handle it, he didn' want it ter go ter any old home . . . So I told him, after Fluffy, a dragon would be easy . . ."

"And did he—did he seem interested in Fluffy?" Harmony asked trying to keep her voice level.

"Well—yeah—how many three-headed dogs d'yeh meet, even around Hogwarts? So I told him, Fluffy's a piece o' cake if yeh know how to calm him down, jus' play him a bit o' music an' he'll go straight off ter sleep—"

Hagrid suddenly looked horrified.

"I shouldn'ta told yeh that!" he blurted out. "Forget I said it! Hey—where yeh goin'?"

Harmony, Harry, Ron, and Hermione didn't speak to each other at all until they came to a halt in the entrance hall, which seemed very cold, and gloomy after the grounds.

"We've got to go to Dumbledore," said Harmony. "Hagrid told that stranger how to get past Fluffy, and it was either Snape or Voldemort under that cloak—it must've been easy, once he'd got Hagrid drunk. I just hope Dumbledore believes us."

"Firenze might back us up if Bane doesn't stop him. Where's Dumbledore's office?" Harry asked.

They looked around, as if hoping to see a sign pointing them in the right direction. They had never been told where Dumbledore lived, nor did they know anyone who had been sent to see him.

"We'll just have to—" Harry began, but a voice suddenly rang across the hall.

It was Professor McGonagall, carrying a large pile of books.

"We want to see Professor Dumbledore," said Harmony.

"See Professor Dumbledore?" Professor McGonagall repeated, as thought this was a very fishy thing to want to do. "Why?"

"It's sort of secret," Harry said.

Harmony watched as Professor McGonagall's nostrils flared.

"Professor Dumbledore left ten minutes ago," she said coldly. "He received an urgent owl from the Ministry of Magic and flew off for London at once."

"He's gone?" said Harmony in awe. "Now?"

"Professor Dumbledore is a great wizard, Potter, he has many demand on his time—"

"But this is important." Harry said.

"Something you have to say is more important than the Ministry of Magic, Potter?"

"Look," said Harmony, deciding to throw it out there, "Professor—it's about the Sorcerer's Stone—"

Whatever Professor McGonagall had expected, it wasn't that. The books she was carrying tumbled out of her arms, but she didn't pick them up.

"How do you know--?" she spluttered.

"Professor, I think—I know—that Sn—that someone is going to try and steal the Stone. I've got to talk to Professor Dumbledore." Harmony said.

She eyed her with a mixture of shock and suspicion.

"Professor Dumbledore will be back tomorrow," she said finally. "I don't know how you found out about the Stone, but rest assured no one can possibly steal it, it's too well protected."

"But Professor—" Harry put in.

"Potter, I know what I'm talking about," she said shortly. She bent down and gathered the fallen books. "I suggest you all go back outside and enjoy the sunshine."

But they didn't.

"It's tonight," said Harmony, once she was sure Professor McGonagall was out of earshot. "Snape's going through the trapdoor tonight. He's found out everything he needs, and now he's got Dumbledore out of the way. "

"He sent that note, I bet the Ministry of Magic will get a real shock when Dumbledore turns up. " Harry said.

"But what can we—"

Hermione gasped. The rest of them wheeled round.

Snape was standing there.

"Good afternoon," he said smoothly.

They stared at him.

"You shouldn't be inside on a day like this," he said, with an odd, twisted smile.

"We were—" Harry began, it sounded to Harmony as if he didn't think through what to say next.

"You want to be more careful," said Snape. "Hanging around like this, people will think you're up to something. And Gryffindor really can't afford to lose any more points, can it?"

Harmony flushed. They turned to go outside, but Snape called them back.

"Be warned, Potter . . ." Snape began then realized again that there were two of them. "Either of you—any more nighttime wanderings and I will personally make sure you are expelled. Good day to you."

He strode off in the direction of the staffroom.

Out on the stone steps, Harry and Harmony turned to the others.

"Right, here's what we've got to do," Harry whispered urgently. "One of us has got to keep an eye on Snape—wait outside the staffroom and follow him if he leaves it."

"Hermione, you'd better to do that." Harmony said.

"Why me?"

"It's obvious," said Ron. "You can pretend to be waiting for Professor Flitwick, you know." He put on a high voice, "Oh Professor Flitwick, I'm so worried, I think I got question fourteen b wrong . . ."

"Oh, shut up," said Hermione, but she agreed to go and watch out for Snape.

"And we'd better stay outside the third-floor corridor," Harmony told the other two. "Come on."

But that part of the plan didn't work. No sooner had they reached the door separating Fluffy from the rest of the school than Professor McGonagall turned up again and this time, she lost her temper.

"I suppose you think you're harder to get past than a pack of enchantments!" she stormed. "Enough of this nonsense! If I hear you've come anywhere near here again, I'll take another fifty points from Gryffindor! Yes, Weasley from my own House!"

They went back to the common room. Harry had just said, "At least Hermione's still on Snape's tail," when the portrait of the Fat Lady swung open and Hermione came in.

"I'm sorry, Harry!" she wailed. "Snape came out and asked me what I was doing, so I said I was waiting for Flitwick, and Snape went to get him, and I've only just got away, I don't know where Snape went."

"Well, that's it then, isn't it?" Harry said.

Harmony knew what he was thinking and she whole-heartedly agreed.

"I'm going out of here tonight and I'm going to try and get to the Stone first."

"I'm going with you Harry," Harmony said. Harry was about to argue when Ron broke in.

"You're mad!" said Ron.

"You can't!" said Hermione. "After what McGonagall and Snape have said? You'll be expelled!"

"SO WHAT?" The twins shouted in unison.

"Don't you understand? If Snape gets hold of the Stone, Voldemort's coming back!" Harry said.

"Haven't you heard what it was like when he was trying to take over? There won't be any Hogwarts to get expelled from! He'll flatten it, or turn it into a school for the Dark Arts!" Harmony continued.

"Losing points doesn't matter anymore, can't you see? D'you think he'll leave you and your families alone if Gryffindor wins the House Cup? If we get caught before we reach the Stone, well, I'll have to go back to the Dursleys and wait for Voldemort to find me there . . ." Harry said taking the rant again.

"And I'll just go back to the Muggle home or somewhere else and wait for him too. Either way it's only dying a bit later then we could have, because we're never going over to the Dark Side!" Harmony said sincerely.

"We're going through that trapdoor tonight and nothing you two say is going to stop us!" Harry said.

"Voldemort killed our parents, remember?" Harmony ended.

They both glared at the other two.

"You're right," said Hermione in a small voice.

"We'll use the Invisibility Cloak," said Harry. "It's lucky we got it back."

"But will it cover all four of us?" said Ron.

"All—all four of us?" Harry said.

"Oh, come off it, you don't think we'd let you two go alone?"

"Of course not," said Hermione briskly. "How do you think you'd get to the Stone without us? I'd better go and look through my books, there might be something useful . . ."

"But if we get caught, you two will be expelled, too." Harmony said.

"Not if I can help it, " said Hermione grimly. "Flitwick told me in secret that I got a hundred and twelve percent on his exam. They're not throwing me out after that."

After dinner the three of them sat nervously apart in the common room. Nobody bothered them; none of the Gryffindors had anything to say to the twins anymore after all. This was the first night Harmony hadn't been upset by it. Hermione was skimming through all her notes, hoping to come across one of the enchantments they were about to try and break. Harry, Ron, and Harmony didn't talk much. All of them were thinking about what to do.

Slowly, the room emptied as people drifted off to bed.

"Better get the Cloak," Ron muttered, as Lee Jordan finally left, stretching and yawning. Harry ran upstairs to get the Cloak. He came back with the Cloak and the flute Hagrid had given him for Christmas.

"We'd better put the Cloak on here, and make sure it covers all four of us—if Filch spots one of our feet wandering along on its own—"

"What are you doing?" said a voice from the corner of the room. Neville appeared from behind an armchair, clutching Trevor the toad, who looked as thought he'd been making another bid for freedom.

"Nothing, Neville, nothing," said Harry, hurriedly putting the Cloak behind his back.

Neville stared at their guilty faces.

"You're going out again," he said.

"No, no, no," said Hermione. "No we're not. Why don't you go to bed, Neville?"

Harmony looked at the grandfather clock by the door. They couldn't afford to waste anymore time, Snape might even now by playing Fluffy to sleep.

"You can't go out," said Neville, "you'll be caught again. Gryffindor will be in even more trouble."

"You don't understand," said Harmony, "this is important."

But Neville was clearly steeling himself to do something desperate.

"I won't let you do it," he said, hurrying to stand in front of the portrait hole. "I'll—I'll fight you!"

"Neville," Ron exploded "get away form that hole and don't be an idiot—"

"Don't you call me an idiot!" said Neville. "I don't think you should be breaking any more rules! And you were the one who told me to stand up to people!"

"Yes, but not to us," said Ron in exasperation. "Neville, you don't know what you're doing."

He took a step forward and Neville dropped Trevor the toad, who leapt out of sight.

"Go on then, try and hit me!" said Neville, raising his fists. "I'm ready!"

Hermione stepped forward.

"Neville," she said, "I'm really, really sorry about this."

She raised her wand.

"Petrificus Totalus!" she cried, pointing at Neville.

Neville's arms snapped to his sides. His legs sprang together. His whole body rigid, he swayed where he stood and then fell flat on his face, stiff as a board.

Hermione ran to turn him over. Neville's jaws were jammed together so he couldn't speak. Only his eyes were moving, looking at them in horror.

"What've you done to him?" Harry whispered.

"It's the full Body-Bind," said Harmony.

"Oh, Neville, I'm so sorry." Said Hermione.

"We had to, Neville, no time to explain," said Harry.

"You'll understand later, Neville," said Ron as they stepped over him and pulled on the Invisibility Cloak.

They continued on. In their nervous state, every statue's shadow looked like Filch, every distant breath of wind sounded like Peeves swooping down on them.

At the foot of the first set of stairs, they spotted Mrs. Norris skulking near the top.

"Oh, let's kick her, just this once," Ron whispered, but Harry shook his head. AS they climbed carefully around her, Mrs. Norris turned her lamplike eyes on them, but didn't do anything.

They didn't meet anyone else until they reached the staircase up to the third floor. Peeves was bobbing halfway up, loosening the carpet so people would trip.

"Who's there?" he said suddenly as they climbed toward him. He narrowed his wicked black eyes. "I know you're there, even if I can't see you. Are you ghoulie or ghostie or student beastie?"

He rose up in the air and floated there squinting at them.

"Should call Filch, I should, if something's a-creeping around unseen."

"Peeves," said Harry suddenly in a hoarse whisper, "the Bloody Baron has his own reasons for being invisible."

Peeves almost fell out of the air in shock. He caught himself in time and hovered about a foot off the stairs.

"So sorry, your bloodiness, Mr. Baron, sir," he said greasily. "My mistake, my mistake—I didn't see you—of course I didn't you're invisible—forgive old Peevsie his little joke, sir."

"I have business here, Peeves," croaked Harry. "Stay away from this place tonight."

"I will, sir, I most certainly will," said Peeves, rising up in the air again. "Hope your business goes well, Baron, I'll not bother you."

And he scooted off.

"Brilliant, Harry!" whispered Ron.

Harmony turned back and kissed her brother on the cheek.

A few seconds later, they were there, outside the third-floor corridor—and the door was already ajar.

"Well, there you are," Harry said quietly, "Snape's already got past Fluffy."

Seeing the open door somehow seemed to impress upon all four of them what was facing them. Underneath the Cloak, Harry turned to the rest of them.

"If you want to go back, I won't blame you," he said. "You can take the Cloak, I won't need it now."

"Harry what do you mean, I? I believe the correct term is we, since I am your sister and I will stick with you to the very end. There is absolutely no way to change my mind, either." Harmony said.

"Don't be stupid," said Ron.

"We're coming," said Hermione.

Harry pushed the door open.

As they door creaked, low, rumbling growls met their ears. All three of the dog's noses sniffed madly in their direction, even though it couldn't see them.

"What's that at its feet?" Hermione whispered.

"Looks like a harp," said Ron. "Snape must have left it there."

"It must wake up the moment you stop playing," said Harmony.

"Well, here goes . . . "

Harry put the flute that Hagrid had given him to his lips and blew. It wasn't really a tune, but from the first note the beast's eyes began to droop. Slowly, the dog's growls ceased—it tottered on its paws and fell to its knees, then it slumped to the ground, fast asleep.

"Keep playing," Ron warned Harry as they slipped out of the Cloak and crept toward the trapdoor. They could feel the dog's hot, smelly breath as they approached the giant heads.

"I think we'll be able to pull the door open," said Ron , peering over the dog's back, "Want to go first, Hermione?"

"No, I don't!"

"But I do." Said Harmony and she stepped lightly, almost ballerina like, over the dog's legs. She bent and pulled the ring of the trapdoor, which swung up and open.

"What can you see?" Hermione said anxiously.

"Nothing—just black—there's no way of climbing down, we'll just have to drop."

"What do we do?" Hermione asked.

"Well one of us has to go first." said Harmony. "See you down there." And with that she slipped into the dark.

Harmony landed with a muffled sort of thump on something soft. She sat up and felt around, her eyes not used to the gloom. It felt as though she was sitting on some sort of plant.

She heard the flute stop and she tensed, she heard it pick up again just as suddenly as it had stopped, and then there was a flump. Someone else had followed her down.

"Okay, who is it?" She asked into the dark.

"It's just me." She heard Harry's voice say. "It's okay!" he called up to the others.

"It's a soft landing, you can jump!" Harmony called.

Ron followed right away. He landed, sprawled next to Harry.

"What's this stuff?" were his first words.

"Dunno, some sort of plant thing. I suppose it's here to break the fall. Come on, Hermione!"

The distant music stopped. There was a loud bark from the dog, but Hermione had already jumped. She landed on Harry's other side, between Harry and Harmony.

"We must be miles under the school," she said.

"Lucky this plan thing's here, really," said Ron.

"Lucky!" shrieked Hermione. "Look at you!"

She leapt up and struggled toward a damp wall. She had to struggle because the moment she had landed, the plant had started to twist snake like tendrils around her ankles. As for Harry, Harmony, and Ron, their legs had already been bound tightly in long creepers without their noticing.

Hermione had managed to free herself before the plant got a first grip on her. Now she watched in horror a the other three fought to pull the plant off them, but the more they strained against it, the tighter and fast the plant wound around them.

"Stop moving!" Harmony suddenly ordered. "I know what this is—it's Devil's Snare!"

"Oh, I'm so glad we know what it's called, that's a great help," snarled Ron, leaning back, trying to stop the plant from curling around his neck.

"Shut up, I'm trying to remember how to kill it!" said Hermione.

"Well, hurry up, I can't breath!" Harry gasped, wrestling with it as it curled around his chest.

Harmony had stopped moving when she had figured out what it was and was now thinking at the speed of light.

"Devil's Snare, Devil's Snare . . . Hermione, what did Professor Sprout say?"

"—it likes the dark and the damp—" Hermione said.

"So light a fire!" Harry choked.

"Yes—of course—but there's no wood!" Hermione cried, wringing her hands.

"HAVE YOU GONE MAD?" Ron bellowed. "ARE YOU A WITCH OR NOT?"

"Oh, right!" said Hermione, and she whipped out her wand, waved it, muttered something, and sent a jet of bluebell flames at the plant. In a matter of seconds, the three others felt it loosening its grip as it cringed away from the light and warmth. Wriggling and flailing, it unraveled itself from their bodies, and they were able to pull free.

"Lucky you pay attention in Herbology," said Harry addressing both his sister and Hermione as they joined Hermione at the wall.

"Yeah," said Ron, "and lucky Harry doesn't lose his head in a crisis –'there's no wood,' honestly"

"This way," said Harry, pointing down a stone passageway that sloped downward, and Harmony was reminded of Gringotts. What would they meet down there? Harmony automatically pulled out her wand.

"Can you hear something?" Ron whispered.

Harmony listened. A soft rustling and clinking seemed to be coming from up ahead.

"Do you think it's a ghost?"

"I don't' know . . . sounds like wings to me."

"There's light ahead—I can see something moving."

They reached the end of the passageway and saw before them a brilliantly lit chamber, its ceiling arching high above them. It was full of small, jewel-bright birds, fluttering and tumbling all around the room. On the opposite side of the chamber was a heavy wooden door.

"Do you think they'll attack us if we cross the room?" said Ron.

"Probably," said Harry. " They don't look very vicious, but I suppose if they all swooped down at once . . . well, there's no other choice . . . I'll run."

He covered his face with his arms, and sprinted across the room. Harmony expected to see sharp beaks and claws tearing at him any second, but nothing happened. Harry reached the door untouched.

They followed Harry to the other side. They tugged and heaved at the door, which was locked, but it wouldn't budge, not even when Hermione tried her Alohomora Charm.

"Now what?" said Ron.

"These birds . . . they can't be here just for decoration." Said Hermione.

They watched the birds soaring overhead, glittering—glittering?

"They're not birds!" Harmony said suddenly. "They're keys! Winged keys—look carefully. So that must mean . . ." she looked around the chamber while the other three squinted up at the flock of keys. " . . .yes—look! Broomsticks! We've got to catch the key to the door!"

"But there are hundreds of them!" Harry said.

Ron examined the lock on the door.

"We're looking for a big, old-fashioned one—probably silver, like the handle."

They each seized a broomstick and kicked off into the air, soaring into the midst of the cloud of keys. They grabbed and snatched, but the bewitched keys darted and dived so quickly it was almost impossible to catch one.

Not for nothing though, was Harry the youngest Seeker in a century. After a minute's weaving about through the while of rainbow feathers, he called.

"That one! That big one—there—no, there—with bright blue wings—the feathers are all crumpled on one side."

Ron went speeding in the direction that Harry was pointing, crashed into the ceiling and nearly fell off his broom.

"We've got to close in on it!" Harry called, "Ron, you come at it from above—Hermione, stay below it and stop it from going down—Harmony you get in front of it—and I'll try and catch it. Right, NOW!"

Ron dived, Hermione rocketed upward, Harmony stayed in place, but the key got around her and the others. Harry streaked after it; it sped toward the wall, Harry leaned forward and with a nasty, crunching nose, pinned it against the stone with one hand. Ron, Hermione, and Harmony's cheers echoed around the high chamber.

They landed quickly, and Harry ran to the door. He rammed the key into the lock and turned—it worked. The moment the lock had clicked open, they key took flight again, looking very battered now that it had been caught twice.

"Ready?" Harry asked the others, his hand on the door handle. They nodded. He pulled the door open.

The next chamber was so dark they couldn't see anything at all. But as they stepped into it, light suddenly flooded the room to reveal an astonishing sight.

They were standing on the edge of a huge chessboard, behind the black chessmen, which were all taller than they were and carved from what looked like black stone. Facing them, way across the chamber, were the white pieces. Harry, Ron, Harmony, and Hermione shivered slightly—the towering white chessmen had no faces.

"Now what do we do?" Harry whispered.

"It's obvious, isn't it?" said Ron. "We've got to play out way across the room."

Behind the white pieces they could see another door.

"How?" said Hermione nervously.

"I think," said Ron, we're going to have to be chessmen."

He walked up to a black knight and put his hand out to touch the knight's horse. At once, the stone sprang to life. The horse pawed the ground and the knight turned his helmeted head to look down at Ron.

"Do we—er—have to join you to get across?"

The black knight nodded. Ron turned to the other three.

"This needs thinking about . . ." he said. "I suppose we've got to take the place of four of the black pieces . . ."

The other three stayed quiet, watching Ron think. Finally he said, "Now, don't be offended or anything, but none of you are that good at chess—"

"We're not offended," said Harmony quickly. "Just tell us what to do."

"Well, Harry, you take the place of that bishop, Hermione you go there instead of that castle, Harmony take the position of the far left pawn."

"What about you?"

"I'm going to be a knight," said Ron.

The chessmen seemed to have been listening, because at these words a knight, a bishop, a castle, and a pawn turned their backs on the white pieces and walked off the board, leaving four empty squares that each of them took.

"White always plays first in chess," said Ron, peering across the board. "Yes . . . look . . ."

A white pawn had moved forward two squares.

Ron started to direct the black pieces. They moved silently wherever he sent them. Harmony was scared, what if they lost?

Their first real shock came when their other knight was taken. The white queen smashed him to the floor and dragged him off the board, where he lay quite still, facedown.

"Had to let that happen," said Ron, looking shaken. "Leaves you free to take that bishop, Hermione, go on."

Every time one of their men was lost, the white pieces showed no mercy. Soon there was a huddle of limp black players slumped along the wall.

"We're nearly there," Ron muttered suddenly. "Let me think—let me think . . ."

The white queen turned her blank face toward him.

"Yes . . ." said Ron softly. "it's the only way . . . I've got to be taken."

"NO!" Harry, Harmony, and Hermione shouted.

"That's chess!" snapped Ron. "You've got to make some sacrifices! I'll make my move and she'll take me—that leaves you free to checkmate the king, Harry!"

"But—"

"Do you want to stop Snape of not?"

"Ron—"

"Look, if you don't hurry up, he'll already have the Stone!"

There was no alternative.

"Ready?" Ron called, his face pale but determined. "Here I go—now, don't hang around once you've won."

He stepped forward, and the white queen pounced. She struck Ron hard across the head with her stone arm, and he crashed to the floor—Hermione screamed but stayed on her square—Harmony covered her mouth in fright but didn't move an inch—the white queen dragged Ron to one side. He looked as if he'd been knocked out.

Harry moved three spaces to the left.

The white king took off his crown and threw it at Harry's feet. They had won. The chessmen parted and bowed, leaving the door ahead clear. With one last desperate look back at Ron. Harry, Harmony, and Hermione charged through the door and up the next passageway.

"What if he's--?" Hermione began.

"He'll be all right," said Harry. "What do you reckon's next?"

"We've had Sprout's, that was the Devil's Snare . . ." Hermione started.

"Flitwick must've put charms on the keys . . ." Harmony put in.

"McGonagall transfigured the chessmen to make them alive . . ." Harry said.

"That leaves Quirrell's spell, and Snape's . . ." Harmony concluded.

They had reached another door.

Harry pushed it open.

A disgusting smell filled their nostrils, making all of them pull their robes up over their noses. Eyes watering, they saw, flat on the floor in front of them, a troll even larger than the one they had tackled, out cold with a bloody lump on its head.

"I'm glad we didn't have to fight that one," Harry whispered as they stepped carefully over one of its massive legs. "Come on, I can't breathe."

He pulled open the next door, all of them hardly daring to look at what came next—but there was nothing very frightening in here, just a table with seven differently shaped bottles standing on it in a line.

"Snape's," said Harry. "What do we have to do?"

They stepped over the threshold, and immediately a fire sprang up behind them in the doorway. It wasn't ordinary fire either; it was purple. At the same instant, black flames shot up in the doorway leading onward. They were trapped.

"Look!" Hermione seized a roll of paper lying next to the bottles. Harmony and Harry looked over her shoulder to read it:

_Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind,_

_Two of us will help you, whichever you would find._

_One among us seven will let you move ahead,_

_Another will transport the drinker back instead,_

_Two among our number hold only nettle wine,_

_Three of us are killers, waiting hidden in line._

_Choose, unless you wish to stay here forevermore._

_To help you in your choice, we give you these clues four:_

_First, however slyly the poison tries to hide_

_You will always find some on nettle wine's left side;_

_Second, different are those who stand at either end,_

_But if you would move onward, neither is your friend;_

_Third, as you see clearly all are different size,_

_Neither dwarf not giant holds death in their insides;_

_Fourth, the second left and the second on the right_

_Are twins once you taste them, though different at first sight._

Hermione and Harmony let out a sigh in unison and looked at each other smiling.

"Brilliant," said Harmony. "This isn't magic—it's logic—a puzzle."

"A lot of the greatest wizards haven't got an ounce of logic, they'd be stuck in here forever." Hermione finished.

"But so will we, won't we?" Harry asked.

"Of course not," said Harmony. "Everything we need is here on this paper. Seven bottles . . ."

"Three are poison . . ." Hermione continued.

"Two are wine . . ." Harmony put in.

"One will get us safely through the black fire . . ." Hermione said.

"And one will get us back through the purple. . ." Harmony ended.

"But how do we know which to drink?" asked Harry.

"Give us a minute." Harmony said.

The girls began to read the paper over and over. Sometimes looking at each other, sometimes walking down the line of bottles, talking between themselves and pointing at the bottles. At last they turned to Harry.

"Got it," Harmony said.

"The smallest bottle will get us through the black fire—toward the Stone." Said Hermione.

"There's only enough for two of us,"' he said "That's hardly two swallows."

They looked at each other.

"Which one will get you two back through the purple flames?"

Hermione pointed at a rounded bottle at the right end of the line.

"You two drink that," said Harry. "No listen, get back and get Ron. Grab brooms from the flying-key room, they'll get you out of the trapdoor and past Fluffy—go straight to the owlery and send Hedwig to Dumbledore, we need him. I might be able to hold Snape off for a while, but I'm no match for him, really."

"But Harry—what if You-Know-Who's with him?" Hermione asked.

"Then I will be right by Harry's side facing him. " Harmony said looking straight into her brother's eyes.

"No Harmony, listen—" Harry said.

"No Harry, you listen. We're twins, you're the only family I've got. If you die down there, I'd never forgive myself. You're my brother and you're not going alone. I told you I was in this with you to the end. And to the end it shall be." Harmony said, stubbornly. "Besides we were lucky once weren't we? We might get lucky again."

"Go on Hermione." Harry said.

Hermione's lip trembled, and she suddenly dashed at Harry and Harmony and threw her arms around them.

"You're great wizard's you know." She said.

"Not as good as you," said Harry as she let go of them.

"Me!" said Hermione. "Books! And cleverness! Harmony's got those too. There are more important things—friendship and bravery and—oh—be careful!"

"You drink first," Harmony said.

"You are sure which is which, aren't you?" Harry asked, looking at the two girls.

"Positive," Harmony said.

Hermione took a long drink from the round bottle at the end, and shuddered.

"It's not poison?" said Harry anxiously.

"No—but it's like ice,"

"Quick, go, before it wears off." Harmony said.

"Good luck—take care—"

"GO!" The twins shouted together.

Hermione turned and walked straight through the purple fire.

Harmony turned to her brother. All it took was one look and they knew the other was thinking; this may be the last time they were together. They embraced then, for the longest amount of time they ever had. They took in everything about the other, the way the other griped, the way they laid their head on the others shoulder, everything. Through that hug every feeling of love was transmitted between the twins.

"Ready?" Harmony said when they finally broke apart.

Harry picked up the smallest bottle.

"Let's do it." He said as they both turned toward the black flames.

They each took a swallow from the bottle. It was indeed as though ice was flooding Harmony's body. They both walked forward hand in hand. Harmony could see the flames licking her body, but she couldn't feel them—for a moment her vision was clouded with black fire—then they were on the other side, in the last chamber.

There was already someone there—but it wasn't Snape. It wasn't even Voldemort.


	26. The Face Off

Yeah it's been a while. A long while, but here's the 26th chapter. I know I've been saying forever that this was the last chapter, but well . . . it's not. I decided to split the last chapter in two. Sorry for all of you were excited for the end, but for those who wanted more, be joyful there will be one more chapter. I wrote a explanatory fic for chapter 7 so you should go check it out, it tells you the heart warming story of how Harmony got her name which I believe you'd all enjoy! Have fun reading and again **PLEASE REVIEW**!

**The Face Off**

It was Quirrell.

"You!" gasped the twins.

Quirrell smiled. His face wasn't twitching at all.

"Me," he said calmly. "I wondered whether I'd be meeting you here."

"But—Snape—"

"Severus?" Quirrell laughed, and it wasn't his usual quivering treble, either, but cold and sharp. "Yes, Severus does seem the type, doesn't he? So useful to have him swooping around like an overgrown bat. Next to him, who would suspect p-p-poor st-stuttering P-Professor Quirrell?"

If they hadn't been n the situation they were in Harmony would have laughed extremely hard at Snape being called an overgrown bat, but in their current position she had greater worries.

"But Snape tried to kill us!" Harry burst out.

"No, no, no. I tried to kill you. Your friend Miss Granger accidentally knocked me over as she rushed to set fire to Snape at that Quidditch match. She broke my eye contact with both of you. Another few seconds and I'd have got you two off those brooms. I'd have managed it before then if Snape hadn't been muttering a countercurse, trying to save you."

"Snape was trying to save us!" Harmony exclaimed. That was the last thing she would have expected from Snape. He hated them, he would have wanted them dead, wouldn't he?

"Of, course," said Quirrell coolly. "Why do you think he wanted to referee your next match? He was trying to make sure I didn't do it again. Funny, really . . . he needn't have bothered. I couldn't do anything with Dumbledore watching. All the other teachers thought Snape was trying to stop Gryffindor from winning, he did make himself unpopular . . . and what a waste of time, when after all that, I'm going to kill you both tonight."

Quirrell snapped his fingers ropes sprang out of think air and wrapped themselves tightly around both the twins.

"You're too nosy to live, both of you. Scurrying around the school on Halloween like that, for all I knew you'd seen me coming to look at what was guarding the Stone."

"You let the troll in?" Harry asked.

Harmony had the biggest urge to say "Duh", but Quirrell began ranting again before she had the chance.

"Certainly. I have a special gift with trolls—you must have seen what I did to the one in the chamber back there? Unfortunately, while everyone else was running around looking for it, Snape, who already suspected me, went straight to the third floor to head me off—and not only did my troll fail to beat you to death, that three-headed dog didn't even manage to bite Snape's leg off properly."

"Now, wait quietly. I need to examine this interesting mirror."

Harmony noticed right after he said that that behind him stood the Mirror of Erised.

"The mirror is the key to finding the Stone," Quirrell murmured, tapping his way around the frame. "Trust Dumbledore to come up with something like this . . .but he's in London . . . I'll be far away by the time he gets back . . ."

All Harmony knew to do was play an actress and act like they did in the movies, keep the bad guy talking to keep his mind away from the plan or in this case, the mirror.

"We saw you and Snape in the forest—" she blurted out, feeling now extremely stupid.

"Yes," said Quirrell idly, walking around the mirror to look at the back. " He was on to me by that time, trying to find out how far I'd got. He suspected me all along. Tried to frighten me—as though he could, when I had Lord Voldemort on my side . . ."

Quirrell came back out from behind the mirror and stared angrily into it.

"I see the Stone . . . I'm presenting it to my master . . . but where is it?"

"But Snape always seemed to hate us so much." Harry said. Harmony could have hugged him, that was so much better than her "We saw you in the woods" thing.

"Oh, he does," said Quirrell casually, "heavens, yes. He was at Hogwarts with your father, didn't you know? They loathed each other. But he never wanted you dead."

"But we heard you a few days ago, sobbing—we thought Snape was threatening you . . ." Harmony building her part of their distraction.

For the first time, a spasm of fear flitted across Quirrell's face.

"Sometimes," he said, " I find it hard to follow my master's instructions—he is a great wizard and I am weak—"

"You mean he was there in the classroom with you?" Harry gasped.

"He is with me wherever I go," said Quirrell quietly. "I met him when I traveled around the world. A foolish young man I was then, full of ridiculous ideas about good and evil. Lord Voldemort showed me how wrong I was. There is no good and evil, there is only power, and those too weak to seek it . . . Since then, I have served him faithfully, although I have let him down many times. He has had to be very hard on me." Quirrell shivered suddenly. "He does not forgive mistakes easily. When I failed to steal the Stone from Gringotts, he was most displeased. He punished me . . . decided he would have to keep a closer watch on me . . ."

Quirrell's voice trailed away. Harmony was remembering her time in Diagon Alley—how could she have been so stupid? Harry and her had seen Quirrell there that very day, shaken hands with him in the Leaky Cauldron.

Quirrell cursed under his breath.

"I don't understand . . . is the Stone inside the mirror? Should I break it?"

Harmony's mind was racing. Suddenly she had a brilliant idea. She wanted the Stone so she could keep it away from Quirrell. If she looked into the mirror, she'd see herself finding it and then she'd know where it was. She had to find a way to look into the mirror without Quirrell knowing.

She tried to position herself so she could see the mirror, but she couldn't move very well with the tight ropes. Next to her Harry was trying to do the same thing, but he fell over. Harmony thought Quirrell would turn and kill them both, but he ignored them. He was still talking to himself.

"What does this mirror do? How does it work? Help me, Master!"

Harmony could have laughed, he was talking to someone who couldn't possible answer him. Or that's what Harmony thought until she heard a voice answer. The voice seemed to come from Quirrell himself.

"Use the boy . . . Use the girl . . . Use them both . . . Use them."

Quirrell rounded on the twins.

"Yes—come here."

He clapped his hands once, and the ropes binding the twins fell off. Harry got to his feet with Harmony's help.

"Come here," Quirrell repeated. "Look in the mirror and tell me what you see."

The twins walked toward him.

Harmony knew that if they saw the Stone they had to lie about it. That was something she could do.

Harmony and Harry stood side by side holding hands. Quirrell moved in close behind them. Harmony breathed in the funny smell that seemed to some from Quirrell's turban. Then the twins stepped in front of the mirror in unison.

They saw themselves reflected, both pale and scared-looking at first. But a moment later, Harry's reflection smiled at them and Harmony's did also. Harry's reflection put its hand into its pocket and pulled out a blood-red stone. It winked and put the Stone back in its pocket—

Harmony could tell immediately what had happened. Harry must have the Stone now.

"Well?" said Quirrell impatiently. "What do you see?"

Harmony summoned her Slytherin lying abilities with a little bit of her Gryffindor courage and began to tell what they "saw".

"I see Harry and me shaking hands with Dumbledore, we've won the House Cup for Gryffindor. We're older, we're Head Boy and Girl, and we're sharing the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain position."

"And you?" Quirrell asked Harry.

"We always see the same thing, it must be a twin thing." Harmony said answering for her brother.

Quirrell cursed again.

"Get out of the way," he said. As the twins moved aside, Harmony brushed against the pocket that held the Stone. Should they make a break for it?

But they hadn't walked five paces before a high voice spoke, through Quirrell wasn't moving his lips.

"They lie . . . They lie . . ."

"Come back here!" Quirrell shouted. "Tell me the truth! What did you see?"

The high voice spoke again.

"Let me speak to them . . . face-to-face . . ."

"Master, you are not strong enough!"

"I have strength enough . . . for this . . ."

Harmony felt as though her whole body had been covered in super glue. She couldn't move at all. She watched, scared to death, as Quirrell reached up and began to unwrap his turban. What was going on? The turban fell away. Quirrell's head looked strangely small without it. Then he turned slowly on the spot.

Harmony would have screamed, but she couldn't find her voice. Where there should have been a back to Quirrell's head, there was a face, the most terrible face Harmony had ever seen. It was chalk white with glaring red eyes and slits for nostrils, like a snake.

"The Potters . . ." it whispered.

Harmony couldn't move nor could she breath. So this was Voldemort, the man who had haunted her dreams since she came back.

"See what I have become?" the face said. "Mere shadow and vapor . . . I have form only when I can share another's body . . . but there have always been those willing to let me into their hearts and minds . . . Unicorn blood has strengthened me, these past weeks . . . you saw faithful Quirrell drinking it for me in the forest . . . and once I have the Elixir of Life, I will be able to create a body of my own . . . Now . . . why don't you give me that Stone in your pocket, Harry?"

So he knew. Harry stumbled backward and Harmony found her legs again and stepped back as well.

"Don't be fools," snarled the face. "Better save your own lives and join me . . . or you'll meet the same end as your parents . . . They died begging me for mercy . . ."

Rage boiled quickly through Harmony covering every inch of fear and making her ten times bolder.

"LIAR!" She shouted, but she heard another voice shout with her, Harry.

Quirrell was walking backward at them, so that Voldemort could still see them. The evil face was now smiling.

"How touching . . ." it hissed. "I always value bravery . . . Yes, your parents were brave . . . I killed your father first, and he put up a courageous fight . . . but your mother needn't have died . . . she was trying to protect you . . . Now give me the Stone, unless you want her to have died in vain."

"NEVER!" The twins shouted together.

Harmony and Harry sprang toward the flame door, but Voldemort screamed "SEIZE THEM!" and the next second, Harmony felt Quirrell's hand close on her wrist. At once, a needle-sharp pain seared across Harmony's scar; her arm felt as though it might separate along her scar; she fought, struggling with all her strength, and to her surprise, Quirrell let go of her. The pain in her arm lessened—she looked around to see where Quirrell had gone, and saw him hunched in pain, looking at his fingers on both hands—they were blistering before his eyes.

"Seize them! SEIZE THEM!" shrieked Voldemort again, and Quirrell lunged, knocking both the twins off their feet, landing on top of them, one hand around each of their necks—Harmony's scar was burning, scorching her, blinding her with pain, yet she could see Quirrell howling in agony.

"Master, I cannot hold them—my hands—my hands!"

And Quirrell, though pinning Harry with his knees let go of Harmony and Harry's necks and stared, bewildered, at his own palms—Harmony saw they looked burned, raw, red, and shiny. She also noticed that she was free and she tried to get up, but found that somewhere in the squabble her leg must have been broken.

"Then kill them, fool, and be done!" screeched Voldemort.

Quirrell raised his hand to perform a deadly curse, but Harmony, gathered her strength and sat up, reached over and grabbed Quirrell's face—her brother had done the same—

"AAAARGH!"

Quirrell got off of Harry, his face blistering, too, and then Harmony knew: Quirrell couldn't touch their bare skin, not without suffering terrible pain—their only chance was to keep hold of Quirrell, keep him in enough pain to stop him from doing the curse.

Harmony ignored the pain in her leg and jumped up, which she knew she would feel later. She caught Quirrell by one arm while her brother grabbed the other and she held on as tight as she could. Quirrell screamed and tried to throw them off—the pain in Harmony's leg was killing her while the pain in her arm was building—she saw her vision go in and out—then she couldn't see—she could only hear Quirrell's terrible shrieks and Voldemort's yells of, "KILL THEM! KILL THEM!" and other voices, maybe in her own head, crying, "Harmony! Harry!"

She felt Quirrell's arm wrenched from her grasp, knew all was lost, and fell into blackness, down . . . down . . . down . . .


	27. The End

This chapter is properly name since it is in fact . . .the end. I hope you have all enjoyed this fic as much as I've enjoyed writing it. If you keep a good look out, you'll find more of Harmony coming very soon. (I hope.) Thanks for sticking with it and reading my fic and as a final request . . . please review.

The End

Harmony awoke and all she could see was white. She thought that she must've died in the struggle and she began to worry. Was Harry alive if she was dead? Had someone found them? She decided she would be brave and look around more.

When she did she discovered that she was in the hospital wing and saw Albus Dumbledore standing on the other side of the room. When Dumbledore saw she was awake he walked over to her.

"Good afternoon, Harmony," He said.

"Professor, where's my brother?" Harmony asked, her voice weak.

"Harry," Dumbledore said, Harmony thought she knew what was coming. Harry was dead, she knew it, he had died and she had lived.

"He's gone isn't he?" Harmony said feeling tears start to build in her eyes.

"No," Dumbledore said and laughed a little. "He's right over there, sleeping."

Harmony followed Dumbledore's eyes and saw a lump in the bed to her right. She breathed a heavy sigh of relief and the tears backed off.

"Has he woken up yet?" Harmony asked.

"Not yet, but I expect he'll be up soon enough. You've been here for three days." Dumbledore said his eyes full of kindness and a little concern.

"What? No way. It hasn't been that long." Harmony said.

"Ah, but it has, Harmony." Dumbledore answered simply. "Now you better rest, I'll tell you more of what has happened when both you and your brother are awake."

With that Dumbledore went over to where Harry was sleeping. Harmony laid back on her bed. Three days, there was no possible way it had been that long. They were both okay though, that was the important thing.

She heard moans from the direction of Harry's bed and sat bolt upright. She got up and ran over to her brother's bed. When she got there Dumbledore simply smiled as if he knew that would happen.

"Harry?" Harmony said in a soft voice as she sat on the bed next to him.

No answer.

"Harry, come on, you've slept three days already. You cannot possibly want to sleep anymore." Harmony said in a voice that hinted of annoyance.

"Harmony?" Harry said.

"Yeah, it's me." Harmony said and hugged her brother.

"Are we dead?" Harry asked.

"No, we're fine." Harmony answered and let go of Harry.

Harry suddenly bolted upright.

"The Stone! Quirrell, he got the Stone!"

"Calm yourself, dear boy, you're both a little behind the times," said Dumbledore. "Quirrell does not have the Stone."

"Then who does?" Harmony asked looking concerned.

"Both of you, please relax, or Madam Pomfrey will have me thrown out."

Harmony calmed herself and began to look around a little bit more. There was a table between their beds that was piled high with what looked like half the candy shop.

"Tokens from your friends and admirers," said Dumbledore, beaming. "What happened down in the dungeons between both of you and Professor Quirrell is a complete secret, so, naturally, the whole school knows. I believe your friends Misters Fred and George Weasley were responsible for trying to send you a toilet seat. No doubt they thought it would amuse you. Madam Pomfrey, however, felt it might not be very hygienic, and confiscated it."

"How long have we been here?" Harry asked.

"Three days." Harmony said.

"Mr. Ronald Weasley and Miss Granger will be most relieved you have come round, they have been extremely worried." Dumbledore said.

"But sir, the Stone—" Harry said.

"I see you are not to be distracted. Very well, the Stone. Professor Quirrell did not manage to take it from you. I arrived in time to prevent that, although you were doing very well on your own, I must say."

"You got there? You got Hermione's owl?" Harmony asked.

"We must have crossed in midair. No sooner had I reached London than it became clear to me that the place I should be was the one I had just left. I arrived just in time to pull Quirrell off you both—"

"It was you." The twins said together.

"I feared I might be too late."

"You nearly were, we couldn't have kept him off the Stone much longer—" Harry said.

"Not the Stone, you—the effort involved nearly killed you both. For one terrible moment there, I was afraid it had. As for the Stone, it has been destroyed."

"Destroyed? But your friend—Nicolas Flamel—" Harmony said.

"Oh, you know about Nicolas?" said Dumbledore, sounding quite delighted. "You did do the thing properly, didn't you? Well, Nicolas and I have had a little chat, and agreed it's all for the best."

"But that means he and his wife will die, won't they?" Harry asked.

"They have enough Elixir stored to set their affairs in order and then, yes, they will die."

Dumbledore smiled.

"To ones as young as you, I'm sure it seems incredible, but to Nicolas and Perenelle, it really is like going to bed after a very, very long day. After all, to the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure. You know, the Stone was really not such a wonderful thing. As much money and life as you could want! The two things most human beings would choose above all—the trouble is, humans do have a knack of choosing precisely those things that are worst for them."

Harmony and Harry just sat on the bed looking at each other, conversing with their eyes. Dumbledore hummed a little and smiled at the ceiling.

"Sir?" said Harry suddenly. "I've been thinking . . . Sir—even if the Stone's gone, Vol--, I mean, You-Know-Who—"

"Call him, Voldemort. Always use the proper name for things. Fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself." Dumbledore said.

"Yes, sir. Well, Voldemort's going to try other ways of coming back, isn't he? I mean, he hasn't gone, has he?" Harry asked.

"No, Harry, he has not. He is still out there somewhere, perhaps looking for another body to share . . . not being truly alive, he cannot be killed. He left Quirrell to die; he shows just as little mercy to his followers as his enemies. Nevertheless, while you two may have delayed his return to power, it will merely take someone else who is prepared to fight what seems a losing battle next time—and if he is delayed again, and again, why, he may never return to power.

This sent Harmony thinking so she took over.

"Sir, there is something I've been thinking about as well. Things that we need to know, if you can tell us . . . things I—probably we--want to know the truth about . . ."

"The truth." Dumbledore sighed. "It is a beautiful and terrible thing, and should therefore be treated with great caution. However, I shall answer your questions unless I have a very good reason not to, in which case I beg you'll forgive me. I shall not, of course, lie."

"Well . . . Voldemort said that he only killed our mother because she tried to stop him from killing us. But why would he want to kill us in the first place?"

Dumbledore sighed very deeply this time.

"Alas, the first thing you ask me, I cannot tell you. Not today. Not now. You will know, one day . . . put it from your minds for now. When you are older . . . I know you hate to hear this . . . when you are ready, you will know."

Harmony knew the discussion had been closed so she moved on.

"Why couldn't Quirrell touch us?"

"Your mother died to save you both. If there is one thing Voldemort cannot understand, it is love. He didn't realize that love as powerful as your mother's for you leaves its own mark. Not a scar, no visible sign . . . to have been loved so deeply, even though the person who loved us is gone, will give us some protection forever. It is in your very skin. Quirrell, full of hatred, greed, and ambition, sharing his soul with Voldemort, could not touch you for this reason. It was agony to touch a person marked by something so good."

Dumbledore now became very interested in a bird out on the windowsill, which gave Harmony time to quickly wipe her eyes on her sleeve and Harry to wipe his eyes on the bed sheet. Harry asked his own question now, but one that had bugged Harmony for a long time.

"And the Invisibility Cloak—do you know who sent it to us?"

"Ah—your father happened to leave it in my possession, and I thought you might like it." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Useful thing . . . your father used it mainly for sneaking off to the kitchens to steal food when he was here."

This had sparked Harmony's memory to a question that she'd been meaning to ask.

"I have another question."

"Fire away." Dumbledore answered her.

"Quirrell said Snape—"

"Professor Snape, Harmony."

"Yes, him—Quirrell said he hates us because he hated our father. Is that true?"

"Well, they did rather detest each other. Not unlike you and Mr. Malfoy. And then, your father did something Snape could never forgive."

"What?" Harmony asked.

"He saved his life."

"What?" Harmony said astounded.

"Yes . . ." said Dumbledore dreamily. "Funny, the way people's minds work, isn't it? Professor Snape couldn't bear being in your father's debt . . . I do believe he worked so hard to protect you this year because he felt that would make him and your father even. Then he could go back to hating your father's memory in peace . . ."

"Sir, there's one more thing . . ." Harry began.

"Just the one?" Dumbledore answered.

"How did I get the Stone out of the mirror?"

"Ah, now, I'm glad you asked me that. It was one of my more brilliant ideas, and between you and me, that's saying something. You see, only one who wanted to find the Stone—find it, but not use it—would be able to get it, otherwise they'd just see themselves making gold or drinking Elixir of Life. My brain surprises even me sometimes . . . Now, enough questions. I suggest you two make a start on these sweets. Ah! Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans! I was unfortunate enough in my youth to come across a vomit-flavored one, and since then I'm afraid I've rather lost my liking for them—but I think I'll be safe with a nice toffee, don't you?"

He smiled and popped the golden-brown bean into his mouth. Then he choked and said, "Alas! Ear wax!"

Madam Pomfrey, the nurse, was a nice woman, but very strict. For a while after Dumbledore had left Harmony and Harry were pleading to see Ron and Hermione.

"Just five minutes," Harmony pleaded.

"Absolutely not." Madam Pomfrey said.

"You let Professor Dumbledore in . . ." Harry said.

"Well, of course, that was the headmaster, quite different. You need rest."

"We are resting, look, lying down and everything. Oh, go on, Madam Pomfrey. . ." Harry argued.

"Oh, very well," she said. "But five minutes only."

And she let Ron and Hermione in.

"Harry! Harmony!"

Hermione looked ready to fling her arms around them again, Harmony knew she wouldn't thought, being in the state they were.

"Oh, we were sure you were going to—Dumbledore was so worried—"

"The whole school's talking about it," said Ron. "What really happened?"

It was one of those rare occasions when the true story is even more strange and exciting then the wild rumors. Harry and Harmony told them everything: Quirrell; the mirror; the Stone; and Voldemort. Ron and Hermione were a very good audience; they gasped in all the right places, and when the twins told them what was under Quirrell's turban, Hermione screamed out loud.

"So the Stone's gone?" said Ron finally. "Flamel's just going to die?"

"That's what we said, but Dumbledore thinks that—what was it?" Harry said looking at Harmony.

"'To the well organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.'" Harmony said.

"I always said he was off his rocker," said Ron, looking quite impressed at how crazy his hero was.

"So what happened to you two?" Harmony asked.

"Well, I got back all right," said Hermione. "I brought Ron round—that took while—and we were dashing up to the owlery to contact Dumbledore when we met him in the entrance hall—he already knew—he just said, 'They've gone after him, haven't they?' and he hurled off to the third floor."

"D'you think he meant you to do it?" said Ron. "Sending you your father's Cloak and everything?"

"Well," Hermione exploded, "if he did—I mean to say—that's terrible—you two could have been killed."

"No, it isn't," said Harry thoughtfully. "He's a funny man, Dumbledore. I think he sort of wanted to give us a chance. I think he knows more or less everything that goes on here, you know. I reckon he had a pretty good idea we were going to try, and instead of stopping us, he just taught us enough to help. I don't think it was an accident he let us find out how the mirror worked. It's almost like he thought we had the right to face Voldemort if we could . . ."

"Yeah, Dumbledore's off his rocker, all right," said Ron proudly. "Listen, you've got to be up for the end-of-year feast tomorrow. The points are all in and Slytherin won, of course—you missed the last Quidditch match, we were steamrollered by Ravenclaw with you two—but the food'll be good."

At that moment, Madam Pomfrey bustled over.

"You've had nearly fifteen minutes, now OUT," she said firmly.

After a good night's sleep, Harmony felt wonderful.

"We want to go to the feast," she told Madam Pomfrey, speaking for both of them. "We can, can't we?"

"Professor Dumbledore says you are to be allowed to go," she said sniffily, as though in her opinion Professor Dumbledore didn't realize how risky feasts could be. "And you have another visitor."

"Oh, good," said Harry. "Who is it?"

Hagrid sidled through the door as he spoke. As usual when he was indoors, Hagrid looked too big to be allowed. He sat down between Harry and Harmony, took one look at them, and burst into tears.

"It's—all—my—ruddy—fault!" he sobbed, his face in his hands. "I told the evil git how ter get past Fluffy! I told him! It was the only thing he didn't know, an' I told him! Yeh could've died! All fer a dragon egg! I'll never drink again! I should be chucked out an' made ter live as a Muggle!"

"Hagrid!" said Harmony, Hagrid was shaking with grief and remorse, great tears leaking down into his beard. "Hagrid, he'd have found out somehow, this is Voldemort we're talking about, he'd have found out even if you hadn't told him"

"Yeh could've died!" sobbed Hagrid. "An' don' say the name!"

"VOLDEMORT!" Harry bellowed, and Hagrid was so shocked, he stopped crying. "We've met him and we're calling him by his name. Please cheer up, Hagrid, we saved the Stone, it's gone, he can't use it. Have a Chocolate Frog, we've got loads . . ."

Hagrid wiped his nose on the back of his hand and said, "That reminds me. I've got yeh a present."

"It's not a stoat sandwich, is it?" said Harry anxiously, and at last Hagrid gave a weak chuckle.

"Nah. Dumbledore gave me the day off yesterday ter fix it. 'Course, he shoulda sacked me instead—anyway, got yeh this . . ."

It seemed to be a handsome, leather-covered book. Harry opened it as Harmony watched. It was full of wizard photographs. Smiling and waving at them from every page were their mother and father.

"Yeh can share it between the two o' yeh. Sent owls off ter yer parents' old school friends, askin' fer photos . . . knew yeh didn' have any . . . d'yeh like it?"

Harry didn't speak and Harmony was crying silently, but Hagrid understood that they didn't just like it, they loved it.

The twins made their way down to the end-of-year feast hand in hand that night. They had been held up by Madam Pomfrey's fussing about, insisting on giving them one last checkup, so the Great Hall was already full. It was decked out in the Slytherin colors of green and silver to celebrate Slytherin's winning the House Cup for the seventh year in a row. A huge banner showing the Slytherin serpent covered the wall behind the High Table.

When Harry and Harmony walked in there was a sudden hush, and then everybody started talking loudly at once. The twins slipped into seats between Ron and Hermione at the Gryffindor table and tried to ignore the fact that people were standing to look at them.

Fortunately, Dumbledore arrived moments later. The babble died away.

"Another year gone!" Dumbledore said cheerfully. "And I must trouble you with an old man's wheezing waffle before we sink out teeth into our delicious feast. What a year it had been! Hopefully your heads are all a little fuller than they were . . . you have the whole summer ahead to get them nice and empty before next year starts . . .

"Now, as I understand it, the House Cup here needs awarding, and the points stand thus: In fourth place, Gryffindor, with two hundred and fifty-two points; in third, Hufflepuff, with three hundred and fifty-two; Ravenclaw has four hundred and twenty-six and Slytherin, four hundred and seventy-two."

A storm of cheering and stamping broke out from the Slytherin table. Harmony could see Draco Malfoy banging his goblet on the table. It was a sickening sight.

"Yes, yes, well done, Slytherin," said Dumbledore. "However, recent events must be taken into account."

The room went very still. They Slytherins' smiles faded a little.

"Ahem," said Dumbledore. "I have a few last-minute points to dish out. Let me see. Yes . . .

"First—to Mr. Ronald Weasley . . ."

Ron went purple in the face; he looked like a radish with a bad sunburn.

" . . . for the best-played game of chess Hogwarts has seen in many years, I award Gryffindor House fifty points."

Gryffindor cheers nearly raised the bewitched ceiling' the starts overhead seemed to quiver. Percy could be heard telling the other prefects, "My brother, you know! My youngest brother! Got past McGonagall's giant chess set!"

At last there was silence again.

"Second—to Miss Hermione Granger . . . for the use of cool logic in the face of fire, I award Gryffindor House fifty points."

Hermione buried her face in her arms. Gryffindors up and down the table were beside themselves—they were a hundred points up.

"Third—to Mr. Harry Potter . . ." said Dumbledore. The room went deadly quiet. " . . . for pure nerve and outstanding courage, I award Gryffindor House sixty points."

Everyone cheered and clapped for Harry, but they were sixty points from Slytherin.

"Fourth—to Miss Harmony Potter . . ." said Dumbledore. The room went quiet again. " . . . for amazing intellect and unfailing bravery, I award Gryffindor House sixty points."

The din was deafening. Those who could add up while yelling themselves hoarse knew that Gryffindor now had four hundred and seventy-two points—exactly the same as Slytherin. They had tied for the House Cup—if only Dumbledore had given Harmony just on more point.

Dumbledore raised his hand. The room gradually fell silent.

"There are all kinds of courage," said Dumbledore, smiling. "It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to out enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends. I therefore award ten points to Mr. Neville Longbottom."

Someone standing outside the Great Hall might well have thought some sort of explosion had taken place, so loud was the noise that erupted from the Gryffindor table. Harry, Ron, Harmony, and Hermione stood up to yell and cheer as Neville, white with shock, disappeared under a pile of people hugging him. He had never won so much as a point for Gryffindor before. Harmony looked toward the Slytherin table to see Malfoy, who couldn't have looked more stunned and horrified if he'd just had the Body-Bind Curse put on him.

"Which means," Dumbledore called over the storm of applause, for even Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were celebrating the downfall of Slytherin, "we need a little change of decoration."

He clapped his hands. In an instant, the green hangings became scarlet and the silver became gold; the huge Slytherin serpent vanished and a towering Gryffindor lion took its place. Snape was shaking Professor McGonagall's hand, with a horrible, forced smile. He caught Harmony and Harry's eye and Harmony knew at once that Snape's feelings toward them hadn't changed one jot. This didn't worry Harmony. It seemed as though life would be back to normal next year, or as normal as it ever was at Hogwarts.

It was the best evening of Harmony's life, better than winning at Quidditch, or Christmas, or knocking out mountain trolls, or anything for that matter . . . she would never forget that night.

Harmony had almost forgotten that the exam results were still to come, but come they did. Harmony tied with Hermione for the best grades of the first years, of course. Everyone had come through pretty okay in their exams.

Suddenly, their wardrobes were empty, their trunks were packed; and then Professor McGonagall appeared out of nowhere asking for Harmony.

"Miss Potter I am to take you to see Professor Dumbledore."

Harmony followed Professor McGonagall to a gargoyle and in front of it stood Albus Dumbledore.

"Hello, Harmony." He said as they approached. "Thank you, Minerva."

McGonagall strode away leaving Harmony and Dumbledore alone.

"Walk with me, will you?" Dumbledore said and stared slowly down the hall, with Harmony keeping pace beside him.

"Harmony," He began. "I've tried to tell myself over and over that it would be best for you if you went back to your foster parents, but I just cannot bring myself to send you back there."

"Why?" Harmony asked.

"Well, because you and Harry have only known each other for under a year and it's crucial for you to have a good relationship with each other. It will be clearer why when you are older and you understand more. So I have decided that you will go with Harry to your aunt and uncle's house this summer." He said.

"Really?" Harmony asked getting excited. A whole summer with Harry, it was an absolutely wonderful idea in her opinion.

"Yes, I sent the owl last night, but it will not always be so. You will go back to your foster parents eventually. I will tell you each year where you will go. That's another reason why I wanted to see you. I wanted to work out a way to get word to you without having to call you up here on the last day each year." Dumbledore said still walking.

"I believe I will send you an owl that will reach you at some time during your journey home from now on. What do you think?" He asked.

"I think it will work." Harmony said.

Suddenly Dumbledore stopped and turned toward Harmony, who stopped also.

"Harmony, I want you to be careful. You can't do anything reckless while you are away. You'll be less protected at the Dursley's and therefore more likely to get into some sort of trouble." Dumbledore said laying his hands on Harmony's shoulders and looking straight into Harmony's eyes. "You must promise me that not only will get into no kind of trouble, but also that once again you will keep where you've spent the last ten years a secret. Can you do that?"

"Yes, I can." Harmony said.

Dumbledore lifted his hands off of Harmony's shoulders.

"Then I will see you next year." He said and began to walk back.

"Professor?" Harmony said and Dumbledore turned back to face her.

"Thank you . . . for everything." She said.

Dumbledore smiled and nodded.

"Remember what you promised, Harmony." He said, then turned and walked down the hall at a brisk pace.

Harmony turned and almost ran back to Gryffindor Tower.

Everything went by so quickly. Soon they were on the Hogwarts Express, speeding toward home, talking and laughing the whole way.

As they were getting off the train Harry said something that jogged Harmony's memory.

"You will write me, won't you?"

"No," Harmony smiled at Harry's stunned look. "I'm coming with you. That's why Dumbledore wanted to see me earlier."

Harry smiled and hugged his sister tightly. Then they both stepped onto the platform. They were being let through the barrier in two and threes so as not to attract attention.

"You must come and stay this summer," said Ron. "all of you—I'll send you an owl. Harmony, I need you're address."

"Ron, all you'll have to do is write Harry. I'm staying with him this summer." Harmony said grinning.

"Great!" said Ron.

"It'll give us something to look forward to this summer." Harry said.

People jostled them as they moved forward toward the gateway back to the Muggle world. Some of them called:

"Bye, Harry!"

"Bye, Harmony!"

"See you, Potter!"

"Still famous," said Ron, grinning at them.

"Not where we're going, I promise you," said Harry.

Ron, Hermione, Harry, and Harmony passed through the gateway together.

"There they are, Mum, there they are, look!"

It was Ginny Weasley, Ron's younger sister, but she wasn't pointing at Ron.

"The Potters!" she squealed. "Look, Mum! I can see—"

"Be quiet, Ginny, and it's rude to point."

Mrs. Weasley smiled down at them.

"Busy year?" she said.

"Very," said Harry.

"Thanks for the fudge and the sweaters, Mrs. Weasley." Harmony said.

"Oh, it was nothing, dear."

"Ready, are you? She's coming too as I've heard."

It was Uncle Vernon, still purple-faced, still mustached, still looking furious at the nerve of Harry, carrying an owl in a cage in a station full of ordinary people. Behind him stood Aunt Petunia and Dudley, looking terrified at the very sight of Harry and Harmony.

"You must be Harry and Harmony's family!" said Mrs. Weasley.

"In a manner of speaking," said Uncle Vernon. "Hurry up, both of you, we haven't got all day." He walked away.

The twins hung back for a last word with Ron and Hermione.

"See you over the summer, then." Harry said.

"Hope you have—er—a good holiday," said Hermione, looking uncertainly after Uncle Vernon, shocked that anyone could be so unpleasant.

"Oh, we will." Said Harmony, both twins were grinning broadly to the surprise of the other two.

"They don't know we're not allowed to use magic at home. " Harmony continued.

"We're going to gave a lot of fun with Dudley this summer . . ." Harry said.

The twins then went to the Dursley's car and as they sped away Harmony knew that her adventures were just beginning.


End file.
